Come into the Light
by Victorious-Sunflower426
Summary: "That's where you're wrong, Erik. You've always believed that no one could ever love you, all of you, even with your deformity. And yet, I have loved you since I was seventeen years old. You hid yourself behind the "Phantom of the Opera" but I never saw a Phantom. I saw a man desperate to be loved, to be loved not only for his music but for himself...I do choose you."
1. The Opera is Over

**Chapter One**

 ** _The Opera is over_**

 **1873**

My heart finally calms down as I make it to the doorway of my home. I can feel the ash of the fire in my hair and my hands are shaking slightly, the almost encounter with death still very present in my mind.

 _How could he do this? What lunacy overcame him?_

I entered my home and I saw my Mother stand up quickly from the blue,upholstered chair in a fright. She rushed toward me and embraced me tightly, almost leaving me breathless. I was surprised to see my Mother react this way, she wasn't one to show affection this easily.

"Are you all right, Meg?" she pushed me back slightly and moved my blonde hair away from my face to check if I was hurt.

"I am all right, Mother. But what happened? Where's Erik? Is he all right?" Before I left the disaster scene of where the Opera Populaire burned down I was able to see Christine and Raoul. They were exiting from the underground dungeons where I know Erik took Christine but Raoul didn't let her even say a word to me. They just kept running, leaving the burning building behind in one of Raul's carriages.

"Yes, he is here. He arrived about an hour ago but he is hurt."

"What! Why!? What is wrong?"

"Be calm, Meg. He has a few minor burns. I tried to tend to him but he would not let me. There's something wrong with him, he is… quiet. I thought he would be mad with rage."

"I will go talk to him."

"Meg, no!" My mother took my arm and pulled me back slightly.

"He is not himself. I do not know what he might do."

"I am not afraid of him, Mother." I pulled my hand away and went into the kitchen to find some balm and medicine for his burns.

"Meg, be careful." My Mother warned me before I entered the bedroom and I just nodded. We have always had a spare room for him, in case something like this ever happened. For as long as I can remember my Mother always had a spare room no matter where we moved. It was only when I was thirteen that I finally understood why. I will never forget that night, the night I first met him, the ghost that haunted my Mother's steps and the man who changed my life forever.

 _…_

I entered Erik's room and it was completely darkened, not even a candle was lit to be able to see where I was going. I let the light from outside flood in through the darkness and as soon as I was able to see the bedside table I put down the medicine and lit the candle. The light let me finally see Erik's figure on his bed; he was asleep with his white shirt half-opened and his black trousers a little broken and torn. His mask was missing and his long, black cape was nowhere to be seen. In this light, he almost seemed peaceful and I didn't dare wake him. I sometimes thought the poor man only found peace when he was asleep or when he was composing his music.

I decided to let him sleep and take advantage of his peaceful state and try to heal his wounds. I sat down beside the bed and started to slowly put balm on the burns in his arms. I have lost count the amount of times I have done this; I have seriously been considering becoming a nurse as my profession. Taking care of the "Phantom of the Opera" gave me enough experience to learn how to do many things. I opened up his shirt a little more to be able to put balm on the burns in his chest and I swallowed hard. I tried not to linger too much on his pale yet toned chest but I couldn't help myself. Erik rarely let anyone touch him, let alone be near him. Even though I longed with every fiber of my being to be able to do so… _if only he'd let me_.

"Aah!" Erik's arm snapped mine up suddenly, hard and firm, scaring the wits out of me.

"Erik, be calm, it's me… Meg." His eyes, full of rage, changed suddenly as his mind drifted away from sleep and came back to reality. It isn't the first time he's had nightmares or the last time I dare think.

"Meg? What are you doing?" he straightened himself from the bed and the candlelight lit the part of his face that was not deformed. You could almost imagine how he would look like if he wasn't malformed.

"I am trying to heal your burns."

"Leave me alone! I can heal myself!" He exclaimed suddenly but it didn't frighten me. I took a little bit more balm in my hand and tried to get his arm but he pulled it back roughly. He was getting one of his famous temper tantrums so I let him be. He took the medicine from my hands and started to apply it on himself. I decided to try and get some answers, since I was almost killed because of his actions, I think I deserved them.

"What happened, Erik?" I asked as calmly as I could.

"I said leave me alone!" He turned his head at me, showing his deformed side, and put his face inches from mine, glaring at me. He was trying to scare me away, if only he knew that his deformity has never scared me, not even when I was younger.

"No! I will not leave you alone, not until you explain to me why you have destroyed the one thing that helped me and Mama have a roof over our heads and yours! I think we deserve that!" He just stared at me and I saw his glare turn soft. He inched away from me and turned his eyes to the floor. Sadness overtook them, a sadness I had never seen on him before, and now I was really worried. What happened down there?

"Erik, tell me." I whispered softly hoping not to make his temper rise again.

"Christine… she chose Raul."

I sighed softly and looked away. I was surprisingly sad at my friend's decision, more for Erik than her. I knew how much he had grown to love my best friend even if I could see how that love grew into an unhealthy obsession. But he put so much hope in Christine, in the way she would be able to sing for him and I know, deep inside, he wanted her to accept him as he was; in the end that's what Erik truly craved… love.

 _If only he knew he didn't have to look so far to get it._

"But… she gave me something before she left. Something I think I will never forget for as long as I live."

"What?"

 _What could she have possibly given him? What did she do that it affected him so much?_

"A kiss."I tried to hold in the sudden flow of tears that made their way to the back of my eyes. She kissed him? I have never felt jealousy as strong as I do now. It is an awful feeling which I hope to never encounter again.

"She kissed me. It was the first act of love that I was ever given, Meg… But I let her go."

I tried to swallow whatever it was that got caught in my throat and didn't let me speak. All I could think of was the many times I wanted and even yearned to show him how much I loved him and because of my own fear I did not do it. I feared not him or his deformity, simply his rejection which I knew would come swiftly after. I took a deep breath and tried to ask my next question.

"But…If she kissed you, why would you let her go?"

"Because she wanted him, not me!" He spat at me, his temper rising again.

"What did you expect, Erik?! I warned you not to deceive her."

"She would not have sung for me if I had shown her who and what I really was! I had to pretend to be something I was not."

 _No, you did not._

I thought the words but I did not say them. Erik's insecurity of his physicality has always maddened me to no end. I've known him since I was thirteen years old and I have never thought of him any less because of the way that he looked, but he always has. Unfortunately, he has met people who have treated him indifferent and like a monster making him believe that no one could ever care for him. But that is not true… Oh, Erik that is so not true at all.

"But you did not even give her the choice!"

"Yes I did!"

"When?! When you abducted her and took her down to the dungeons forcing her to be with you?! That is not love, Erik!"

I finally said what I've been holding in since I started to see Erik's thoughts be consumed for Christine. He thought his obsession was love but it was not… it was madness. And that madness was what brought him to burn down the Opera House. But I think it was more than that. It was his last cry for help… his last cry for love.

"I know I was wrong now but… I still love her." Erik whispered. As I looked at him now I did not see the "mad" Erik I had seen for the last few years, letting himself be swallowed by his fixation for Christine. No, I saw a man, a heartbroken man who was lifted from some kind of spell and was now realizing his mistake.

 _A little too late I'm afraid._

I thought about what to say to him. What could I possibly say to a grief-stricken man who had put all his hopes for love on a young, naïve girl? I sighed.

 _I'll simply just say the truth._

"She made her choice Erik. Now, you must make yours. You cannot live in darkness anymore… The Opera is over." I said in a final way and left the room to let him get some sleep and think about what I said. But not before leaving a certain white mask that I found in the dungeons of a burned down Opera House beside him on his bed.

…

The next morning I arrived to my home after going out to the market to buy the food we needed for what was left of the week. My mother was very nervous, although you'd have to know her for as long as I have to realize it. She must be worried like I was for Erik's fate. Now that he wasn't under the Opera House, safe and sound, with his façade of the "Phantom of the Opera", what can we do now to help him? Will they be searching for him? Or believe he is dead?

Erik had not left his room since last night and when I left to the market his door was still locked. So I was extremely surprised when I entered our small home and found him sitting down in the upholstery in our living room. He was wearing the same clothes as last night and his white mask that covered the left side of his face. I saw that his burn marks were almost fully healed; he must have kept on putting the medicine I had given him.

"Meg, you return so soon? Did you find everything that I asked you for?" My mother asked me as she inspected what I bought. I have always resented how she has always thought I cannot do things right on my own.

"Yes. You can guess what everyone was talking about at the market." She looked over at me with a known glance.

"They speculated about a certain Opera House burning down and the mysterious causes for it." I started helping my Mother with the food basket and glanced over at Erik who did not react at all. I thought of a way of lightening the very heavy mood.

"They had some amusing stories. My favorite one was Carlotta's jealous rage because Christine Daaé was the protagonist in the Opera. She was so filled with envy that she burned down the whole building." My Mother looked at me disapprovingly but I glanced over at Erik and I saw the almost unnoticeable grin he formed with the right side of his mouth which came and gone with a blink of my eye.

"Did you see anything suspicious? Were the authorities around?" My mother asked.

"No, although there were still _policier_ around the burned down location, they are apparently still investigating."

"Then they will start interviewing soon enough. We must find you a way out of the country Erik and soon." That got my attention.

"What do you mean out of the country?" I asked.

"He cannot stay here, Meg. Who knows how long it will take before they find him? The Vicomte would have surely said something to the authorities by now."

"But I thought you said they promised secrecy?" I asked Erik who had not moved from his place in the living room.

"I never said they promised anything. I simply let them go." Erik's deep voice answered me without even looking at me.

"Then, surely Christine would not say anything. I know she will protect Erik." An image of Christine kissing Erik came into my mind… I know Christine, she may be naïve but she is compassionate, I know she would not utter a word.

"We cannot take the chance of either of them saying a word. They know too much." My Mother started pacing in front of Erik, she was starting to make me uneasy.

"And whose fault is that?" Erik mumbled. My mother stopped in front of him and gave him a surprised stare.

"And what is that supposed to mean? Are you accusing me of something?" I heard the shock in her voice.

"As you may recall Madame, it was you who told Raoul of my past!" The surprise on my Mother's face was genuine. She thought Erik hadn't known about that.

"I only did it because you had lost control! You murdered a man, Erik!"

"You had no right to say anything to him!" He stood up from his seat towering over my Mother.

"And you had no right to take a man's life!" The discussion was getting out of hand so I threw myself in between them separating them both from each other.

"Enough! This helps no one." I turned around towards Erik and I found myself shielding my Mother as we both looked up to the masked man in front of us. I know Erik would never hurt my Mother but this was the first time I had ever seen them argue in this way. It was usually me going head to head with Erik and my Mother the peacemaker between us.

"Forgive me." I saw as his temper lowered and his brown eyes soften. He looked right at my eyes and I saw the guilt that was eating him alive.

He walked by us towards the window that faced the street outside and he stared for only a second then closed the blinds.

"Maybe I should just turn myself in... pay for my actions."

"No!" I exclaimed.

"Erik, do not be foolish." My mother answered from behind me.

"Why not? I took two men's lives. I burned down a building and could have killed hundreds more. Why should I not be tried?!"

"Because you will not be tried justly! Erik, if they find you they would not imprison you. They would take you to a madhouse or worse, they would have you hanged!" I replied with more passion than I anticipated but I had to make him understand. They would take one look at Erik's deformity and treat him as anything less than a human. They would not even have a trial and just hang him.

I could not even let myself imagine that scene.

"Meg is right. You will not even have a chance, you'll be dead by morning, you can be sure of that." Erik took in our words and took a deep breath and for a second I thought I saw him deflate.

"So many years living beneath the world, I had almost forgotten its cruelty; its darkness has always been so kind to me." He walked back to his seat in the living room, his mood much more somber than before.

"Then I will make plans to leave France, I can contact someone who can help me."

"Leave? But..."

"May I ask who?" My Mother interrupted me.

"An old friend."

"But you cannot leave." I said in a whisper that none of them heard.

"Can he be trusted?" My Mother asked as she sat beside him.

"Yes, I trust him with my life."

"Why have we never heard of him?"

"There are a lot of things you still don't know about me, Helene."

"But you cannot leave." I said a little more forceful making them both look at me.

"Meg, don't be foolish. We cannot protect him here anymore."

"But how can we be sure that if he leaves the country he would be safer?"

"Anywhere, where he is far away from France will be safer for him! Meg, stop being so daft."

"Helene, do not speak to her that way." Erik responded. "Meg, I cannot be a burden to you or Helene anymore. I am a fugitive now!"

"When have we ever told you that you are a burden to us! I cannot believe that after everything we've gone through you are just going to leave!" I find myself screaming at him. But he cannot leave. If he leaves... I do not know if my heart will take it.

"Meg, be calm!" My Mother stood up from her seat and came towards me.

"No! I will not! He cannot do this to us mama!"

"Meg, that is it! Leave! Take a walk and calm yourself down."

"But-!"

"Now!"

I gave a final glance towards Erik who was not even looking at me and then walked out and slammed the door behind me.

...

The sound of carriages echoed around me as I walked down the streets of Paris. My white dress dragged behind me and I wrapped my hands around my body, feeling a certain chill even with the sunlight scorching my back. With every step I took my anger became less and sadness overtook me as Erik's words kept replaying themselves in my head.

 _He is leaving… forever_.

I still couldn't believe it. I'd be a fool to say I had never thought of the possibility of him leaving us but I had always hoped he would not. My life has been intertwined with his for as long as I can remember and now I don't know if I am ready to face my life without him. After so many years of your heart longing for someone else, what does it do after there's no one to long for?

I found myself walking by a familiar place; I must have been walking towards it unconsciously. The Opera House was destroyed and blackened, a shadow of its former self. There were _policier_ around and some firefighters but I don't know what they were trying to do… there was nothing left to save.

"Meg?" I heard a familiar voice call me from behind and I quickly turned around and saw Christine.

"Christine!" I ran towards her and embraced her. I had not realized how worried I was until I had her in my arms.

"How are you? Have you been all right?" I looked at her face and saw that her eyes were red, she had been crying immensely.

"I have been better, Meg. But I am all right and you? I was so afraid you got caught in the fire."

"I am quite well. But what are you doing here?"

"I came with Raoul. He wanted to see if the authorities had found anything in the fire. I told him they would not find anything." Christine's eyes lowered to the ground and would not look at me. Whatever it was that happened down in the dungeons was still hanging quite heavily on Christine's heart. She walked by me and stared at what used to be the Majestic Opera House and it dawned on me.

"You were looking for him, weren't you?" I dared to ask. I know she knew who I meant.

Christine remained silent for a time with her back to me. She stared on to the dark abyss in front of her and I heard her take a deep breath as if she was about to cry.

"Yes.", she whispered her confession to me, "I was hoping I would." I tried to act surprised at this. I have to remember that Christine does not know my past with Erik.

"But I do not understand. Did he not try to kill you?"

"No… well, yes, he tried to kill Raul but he did not. He let us go."

"Why?" I, again, tried to act surprised.

"Because I dared to show him that he was not alone… that someone could lo- care for him."

"How?" I tried not to let what she just said bother me or else it would show in my face. But I couldn't help but think of all the moments I wanted to show him how much I loved him and never dared. Maybe if I had… none of this would have happened.

"I kissed him." She turned around and tears were running down her face.

"You did?!" I tried not to sound so heartbroken.

"Yes! And once I did I…" Christine ran towards me and held my hands tightly as if trying to convey to me her feelings through touch so I could understand. And that's when I saw the light in her eyes and her slight smile.

 _She is in love._

"You realized that you might love him." She looked up at me as if surprised by my answer. Then she grinned; she knew she couldn't hide anything from me. We were practically raised together.

"I honestly do not know, Meg. I do not know if what I feel is love or pity. I just know that I feel it wholeheartedly and I long to see him again."

"But… what about Raoul?"

"That is what I just don't know, Meg! Maybe if I see him again I would know but I must see him! At least know if he's alive."

I felt her voice tug at my heartstrings. I could not stand to see her like this; so scared and torn. And I know I would not be able to bear knowing that I could have helped her and did nothing. I sighed deeply; hopefully, my Mother will not scold me so hard once she realizes how happy it would make Erik. Although it would break me to shreds… but I guess that does not matter as long as the two people I love the most are happy, is it?

"Christine… I know-"

"Christine!" Raoul ran towards us from afar, he was looking worried; apparently searching for Christine.

"Raoul!" Christine wiped away her tears subtly and embraced her fiancé.

"I have been looking all over for you, I was worried sick."

"Forgive me, my love, I entertained myself speaking to Meg."

"Do not scare me like that. You gave me a fright." He warned. Raoul seemed shaken and scared. He must have thought Erik had taken her or worse that Christine ran away with him. Raoul is not a fool, he saw their exchange in the dungeons, and he knew she loved him enough to stay with him down there. I wonder now if the Vicomte will now be haunted forever with the gnawing doubt of her love for him. That every day, he will question whether or not Christine is thinking about him or if he will wake up one day and realize she is gone from his bed, to escape with Erik. I realized then that Erik would not be the only man haunted forever by the decision made by Christine in the dungeons that night.

"Meg! How are you and your Mother?"

"We are quite well, monsieur. Thankfully, we were able to get out of the fire on time.

"I am sure you were." Raul said that in a strange, almost condescending tone, as if he knew something I did not. But I wasn't going to comment on it and it seemed Christine didn't notice; her gaze lost in the darkened Opera House behind me.

"Come, my love, the carriage is waiting for us."

"All right, Goodbye Meg. I will write to you!"

"Goodbye, Christine!"

"We will be sending you our wedding invitation soon." Raoul commented while he was walking back to the carriage. But what he didn't see was Christine's backward glance at me with her eyes glassy of unspilled tears and full of uncertainty.

…

I entered my home with a heavier heart than when I left, Christine's words weighing on me.

"Meg, thank heavens you are back, I was starting to worry. Are you feeling better?" My Mother's words snapped me back to reality and I felt her hand on my shoulder.

"Not really." I answered honestly. My mother looked at me with a little compassion but as soon as I saw it, it was replaced with that familiar cold stare.

"Well, chin up, Meg. You are stronger than this." She lifted my chin and wiped away a few tears that escaped from my eyes. She turned around and walked toward a bag filled with clothing… Erik's clothing, I noticed.

"Mother, what are you doing?"

"Help me pack Erik's things, Meg. He is leaving tonight." I do not answer or try to fight as I did last time. I simply started to help my Mother gather up his things.

"Where is he going?" I whispered.

"He is leaving to Persia. He, apparently, has a friend there who owes him a debt. He is desperate to leave Paris."

I breathed in deeply, drying my tears. I got a pair of Erik's trousers, folded them and put them inside his bag. A much bigger burden was weighing heavy in my heart. Should I tell Erik that I saw Christine tonight? And that she wants to see him?

That she just might love him?


	2. Fugitive

**Chapter Two**

 **Fugitive**

A loud knock on the door startled me and my Mother.

 _Who could it be at this hour?_

We had just sat down to eat some breakfast. I glanced over to my Mother who looked as confused as I was.

"Who do you—." Another loud knock on the door interrupted me.

"Helene Giry!? It is the police, please open up!"

My Mother looked over at me with her eyes wide. It seems that Raoul did say something to the police about our involvement with Erik.

"Coming!" My mother exclaimed. She quickly got up and looked for her white robe to put over her nightie and I quickly did the same. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Good Morning, Officer, how may I help you?"

"Madame Giry?"

"Yes, that is me."

"Excuse us for disturbing your breakfast, Madame Giry. We have a very important issue to discuss with you. Just answer a few of our questions and we will leave you in peace, _Signora_."

"Your badge?" My Mother cleverly asked and the Officer easily got out his badge and showed it to her. She inspected it closely then got out of the way and let them in. It wasn't just one officer, but three which entered our living room, heavily armed. Of the three, only two of them nodded their heads and acknowledged me while their Captain, with his stern look, kept glaring at my Mother.

"Madame Giry, we have been told by _the Vicomte de Chagny_ that you knew the mysterious persona called "The Phantom of the Opera" is that true?"

"I knew little of him… not much."

" _The Vicomte_ informed us that you practically raised him?"

My Mother glanced over at me and I simply lowered my head to the floor. That bastard Raoul was about to get my Mother incarcerated.

"He was misinformed. I found him once and helped him but after that I—"

"He also said that you brought him to the Opera House."

"I did! But after that I knew nothing more of him!" My Mother raised her voice. I knew that voice… it was the one she used when she was stern with me.

"Did you not have contact with him while he was in the Opera House?"

"No, I merely found some letters that he would leave me in my dressing room but that is it." She was lying, of course. I and my Mother would visit Erik almost every night. I would sometimes even stay with him and listen to him compose new songs, except when he was in a mood. Then we would just leave and go.

"Do you know where he is now?"

"No."

"Madame Giry, if I find any evidence that you are lying to me, I have every right to arrest you." My mother glared at him her famous "Giry stare". At least, that's what I and the dancers would call it.

"I have told you all that you needed to know, Officer." A few seconds of the Officer staring at my Mother trying to intimidate her, to no avail, and then he stood up and signaled the officers behind him to follow.

"Thank you for your time, Madame Giry."

"My pleasure, Officer—

"Laurent, Madame. Claude Laurent."

"Officer Laurent, but I must ask… is the investigation still pending?"

"Yes, _the Vicomte_ has made it his duty to find him, Madame. He is a murderer that must be brought to justice." I glanced at my Mother and she simply glared at Officer Laurent with a cold stare. We knew what "justice" meant; they would hang Erik, for sure.

"Even his wife will not sleep peacefully until he is dead." That is a lie. Christine's words still echoed in my head. She would never want Erik dead, she loved him.

"Well… I hope you find him." My mother answered coldly and shut the door in his face.

As soon as the door shut my Mother's composure completely changed. Her eyes widened and she was soon pacing the floor.

"That bastard! He has made me a prime suspect in the investigation! I thought he would remain silent."

"We knew what to expect of him Mother, but I refuse to believe what they said of Christine. I know her... she would not want Erik dead."

"I agree, how much are you willing to bet that she knows nothing of the "impending investigation"? Those men were too heavily armed to simply be detectives."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I think Raoul hired them as hitmen." I gasped softly.

"Mother, we must warn Erik."

We took Erik last night to a secret hideout underground about three blocks from here. Erik knew the tunnels by memory since it had been his home for such a long time. He was waiting impatiently for an answer to his telegram to his friend in Persia, we all were. But now, with Raoul still searching for him, apparently breaking his promise to Erik then he cannot be in Paris much longer.

"Yes, go tonight, Meg. Make sure no one is following you. Tell him of Raoul's treachery and he must leave his hiding place."

"But can't I go now?"

"No! It is better at night, easier to know if you are being followed."

...

The cold Paris night chilled me to my bones as I walked through the somber streets of Paris. I had a black cloak on that covered my head and held a small, unlit lantern for when I arrived to Erik's hideout. I looked over my shoulder every few minutes making sure that I was not being followed. The streets seemed pretty empty, save for a few tramps in their assigned corners and a few bars that were still open. It was a few more minutes to Erik's location and I was hoping to pass by unnoticed.

I turned a street corner and finally entered the alleyway to where one of the entrances to a tunnel could be seen on the ground. I was about to light my lantern when I heard someone's footsteps behind me. I froze. It couldn't be... did someone follow me? But I was so careful!

I turned around quickly and saw the shadow of a figure before me.

"What do you want?" The figure before me came into the moonlight and I could see his face. It was Officer Laurent from this morning with a gun in his hand.

"Miss Giry, not another word. Take us to him!"

"I don't know who you're talking about!"

"It seems she needs a little more persuading." A second figure appeared from behind him and then another. My heart started beating so fast I could hear it in my ear. I saw light reflect from one of the men's knives and I found myself surrounded pretty quickly. I didn't dare even look at the tunnel's entrance, since they apparently didn't even have an idea of where I was going. Before I knew it, I started to run and I tried to get past them but an arm slammed against my stomach.

"Where do you think you're going, Princess?" I heard one of them say.

"Hold her still, by her arms." The Officer Laurent said.

They took one of my arms but I slapped the other man across the face and kicked him hard between his legs. I felt my arm go free from the other man's grip, the lantern falling on the ground, but Officer Laurent took me by the waist and slammed me against the wall. I let out a scream as I felt my body ricochet and fall on the floor.

"Where is he, Miss Giry?! Where is the Phantom!?" Officer Laurent exclaimed as he looked down on me. It started to rain and I felt small drops start to hit my legs.

"I told you... I don't know." I whispered.

"Very well, then. Take her... do what you want with her. Don't stop until she begs you to and tells us where he is." Laurent smirked at me and started walking backwards letting the other two men shadow me.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! I DON'T KNOW!" I exclaimed as they took my arms and started to pick me off the ground. I kicked and tried to punch anything I could feel. I was able to get one of them but an even harder fist landed on my face making me almost lose consciousness. They turned me around and slammed my cheek against the wall and I heard the sound of a belt unbuckling. I couldn't really see anything because of the rain and I think my eye was starting to swell.

"What the-" I heard behind me.

Suddenly I didn't feel any hands holding me from behind and I fell to my knees. I heard a gunshot fire and I slammed my body against the ground with my hands over my head. I didn't feel any pain, thankfully, so the bullet didn't hit me. I turned around on the floor and all I could see were two blurry, black figures fighting in the rain with a third figure. A body was lying a few inches away from me; I am guessing that was the victim of the gunshot.

"AAAH!" I screamed as another gunshot sounded and another black figure fell to the ground. I blinked and I saw that Officer Laurent was fighting with the other figure... a man, apparently... a masked man. I recognized that long, black cape.

Erik!

They were struggling for possession of the gun. In the struggle, in some way Laurent knocked Erik's mask off revealing his deformity making the man trip out of fright. I couldn't believe the scene before me. Erik stood over him, towering him, like a demon in the night. The rain had started falling down harder making the ground all muddy. Erik pointed the gun at Laurent, his eyes fierce and blood spattered on his face and arms. He looked... scary. For the first time in my life, I was truly scared of him. But not because of his appearance, I've simply never seen Erik truly kill before.

"Here I am monsieur. Take a good look at me... because it will be the last thing you see!" Erik exclaimed and pulled the trigger making me flinch.

Laurent's body went still and I saw the small river of blood run down from his head. I looked up at Erik who simply passed his hand over his face, cleaning off the blood. I kept replaying over and over in my head; Erik pulling the trigger and Laurent's body falling back. All my time at the Opera House, seeing the dead bodies of Piangi and Buquet, I always saw them as being killed by the "Phantom" not by Erik. I never assimilated them as being killed by the same person...until now.

Erik walked over to me and for a second, I couldn't separate the Phantom from Erik. I forgot that the man standing in front of me I had known since childhood and I started crawling backward, afraid. Erik froze, noticing the look on my face and quickly covered the right side of his face and looked for his white mask and put it on. If only he knew that I was never afraid of what he looked like physically. Right now, I'm afraid of what is inside not out.

"Are you all right?" Erik asked me but kept his distance, the droplets falling from the side of his mask. I simply shook my head.

"Come inside then, you'll catch pneumonia out here."

...

I flinched as he put the cold swath of clothing on my eye. I was sitting on the edge of his cot as he sat down in his small, wooden chair. Erik had made a small home here in such a short time; Of course it is nothing compared to his dwellings under the Opera House but that had taken years to accomplish. In the midst of darkness and cold, solid brick walls he was able to fit in a cot, a small, wooden table where I would guess he composed his songs, a stack of books in the corner and the bags where we packed his clothing. Everything else the fire that he had caused destroyed.

He had a small bucket filled with cold water that he got out from one of the pipes that were running down here. How he could live so easily down here, I will never know. I flinched again as he tried to put the cold binding against my eye again.

"Be careful, Erik!" He sighed in annoyance.

"Maybe if you were still…"

"I can do it on my own." I tried to take it away from him but he moved my hand away.

"Meg, would you let someone take care of you for once?" I scoffed.

"That is quite ironic coming from you." He ignored me and started to close in on my eye while I moved my face away again. He grunted in annoyance and threw the swath at my lap angrily, his famous temper rising.

"Fine, then you do it!" He walked away towards the bags of his clothing and started taking out garments.

"You have to change out of those clothes, they're soaking wet. I'll have to give you some of mine." Any other moment, I would have blushed at the possibility of wearing Erik's clothes. But right now all I could think of was Laurent's body falling back and the pool of blood running down from his head. Erik's stare after he had pulled the trigger of no remorse at all. For the first time, I saw the monster in him and what he was capable of. I just… I didn't know what to think or believe anymore of the man before me. I thought I knew him so well.

Erik pulled out a white cotton shirt of his bags and some black trousers and laid them on the bed beside me. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to voice my feelings.

"You seem pretty calm for someone who just murdered three men." Erik froze and slowly turned his head towards me and stood over me.

"They would have raped and killed you if I hadn't."

"Are you expecting me to believe you killed them to protect me?! You did it to protect yourself and your identity!" I stood up from the bed and he still towered over me but I didn't care.

"I was not about to stand by and see them ravage you again and again! If you believe that that is the type of man that I am, _mademoiselle_ , then you are mistaken!"

"That is the problem, isn't it Erik!? I don't know what kind of man you are, if you are one, at all!" He was furious now and took off his mask in front of me, throwing it to the ground, and taking me by my arms.

"Are you afraid of me, Meg!?" He glared at me with half of his deformed face exposed; his right eye almost bulging out of his skin.

"Should I be?!" I screamed, not out of fear but rage, disappointment, sadness and… I didn't even know what I was screaming at him for or what I was feeling. I felt so confused. It's that feeling of in between, where you love someone but know that they're doing something wrong and you are torn between loving them or hating them, although you know you'd never be able to hate them at all.

Erik slowly let me go and stared at me, tears started to run down my face and I started to wipe them away quickly, not wanting him to see me cry. His brown eyes looked me deep in the eyes as if trying to reach into my soul and find out what I was feeling. Then he said something I think I will never forget:

"Of all the people in the world, Meg, you are the only person who can say they don't have to be afraid of me." I was speechless. He took his mask and put it back on and those, cold, brown "Phantom" eyes stared back at me again.

"Change out of those clothes, I won't be long." He turned away and started walking away from the light into the deep darkness of the tunnel, his black cape making him almost invisible in the dusk.

"Wait! Where are you going?" He froze and looked at me over his shoulder.

"I am going to bury the bodies before they are found."

…

I woke up in Erik's cot in a start. I had a nightmare where Laurent and his men finished the job they started in the alleyway. My heartbeat was erratic and I could almost still feel their hands on my skin.

"Are you all right?" A deep voice sounded from the darkness. When I looked over to the wooden table I saw Erik's black figure, lit by candlelight, writing down something in a parchment of paper.

"I'm fine, just had a bad dream is all." I whispered trying not to let my voice shake. I stood up from the cot and walked over to the table and Erik stopped writing.

"How long have I been asleep?" After I changed, Erik had not arrived and I felt very anxious and uneasy (the constant darkness wasn't really helping) so I laid down in the cot and cried myself to sleep.

"A couple of hours, it is a little past midnight now."

"How can you tell?" I asked, looking around the tunnel which looked exactly as dark as when I fell asleep. He stood up and walked over to the cot and got out another candle from under it.

"After years of living down here, you tend to know the difference." He lit the candle and set it beside my bed.

"You should lay down Meg and keep resting, you will go back home in the morning. Paris is not safe at night, especially at this hour."

"To be honest, I am not really tired." He simply nodded and sat down again to keep writing. He seemed to be writing a telegram quite urgently.

"Have you heard from your friend in Persia?"

"No. I am still waiting. I need to know if he can offer me transport and some lodging. As soon as I know, I will be leaving Paris as quickly as I can." He finished writing and folded it.

"I want to come with you." I dared to say. I've wanted to say that since I knew that he was leaving. He looked up at me in surprise.

"No, Meg, absolutely not, out of the question. You will be safer here. Who will care for your Mother?"

"She can take care of herself! Who will care for you?"

"I don't need to be taken care of!" He stood up, towering over me.

"Says the man who has depended on me and my Mother for more than twenty-one years!"

"Meg-!" He exclaimed in impatience.

"I want to come with you, Erik! You can't be alone forever!" He looked down on me, his brown eyes turning soft and he took a deep sigh.

"I have realized… it is better to be alone, Meg. The people I love won't get hurt." He whispered to me and then I saw him. The man I know and love; the man torn between wanting to love and scared of it; the man wanting to feel but runs away from everything that makes him feel because he is afraid of losing it. Then I let the words sink in a little more. He didn't want the people he loved to get hurt… did he just say… he loved me?

"Erik—"

"I learned with Christine that I cannot love, Meg. I cannot love anyone…"

Of course, he meant Christine. Christine was whom he loved. I could almost laugh at my own ignorance.

"I only hurt them. And no one can love me. Who could?" He turned around and walked toward the sheets of paper on his table, his unfinished sheets of music, and I realized that now was my moment. He was leaving somewhere and I might never see him again. My fear of rejection was nothing compared to my love for him and how much I wanted him to know that someone did love him in this world.

"I could." I couldn't believe I just said it. He froze and I just kept talking, afraid the words would stop coming out of my mouth.

"That's where you're wrong, Erik. You've always believed that no one could ever love you, all of you, even with your deformity. And yet, I have loved you since I was seventeen years old. You hid yourself behind the "Phantom of the Opera" but I never saw a Phantom. I saw a man desperate to be loved, to be loved not only for his music but for himself. I thought Christine could be the one to finally show you that love since I was so afraid to do so. But not afraid of you but what I know you would say…" By the time I said this, Erik had turned around, his eyes on me looking at me a way I had never seen him look at me before. But he was finally seeing me, my heart, completely exposed to him. I tried to keep talking without letting my voice shake but it was too late, tears started running down my eyes.

"Christine chose wrong, Erik. I would've chosen you in a heartbeat… I do choose you."

I walked over to him, took off his mask and kissed him.


	3. The Truth

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I am so glad that people are enjoying this story and like the idea of a Meg and Erik pairing ( I thought I was alone in this world lol). Here is the next chapter! Please Review and tell me what you think! This is where the universes start to mix a little ( Phantom fans will know why ;) ) Hope you enjoy it!**

 **Chapter Three**

 **The Truth**

At first, Erik didn't respond. He was frozen, for a second it was like kissing a wall. But that just made me want to kiss him more. I let the love I felt for him fill my chest and mind, until all I could do was show him how much I felt for him. That it wasn't just a schoolgirl crush or pity; it was a consuming feeling that has been growing within me since I was seventeen. I slid my hand up his chest and put it on his neck until I found myself kissing his neck, his cheek, his forehead, his deformed right cheek and then his lips again. I didn't care anymore about what he might say or do; I just needed to show him how much he was loved. Suddenly, I felt his hand touch my lower back and his other rested slowly on my cheek. I heard him sigh and his lips started to respond; I opened my mouth and deepened the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself fully against him; I wanted him to feel he wasn't alone, in every part of his body, even if I had to show him with my own.

I hadn't noticed the tears running down my face, or were they his? I didn't care; I just needed to show him. I felt his hold tighten around my waist and I couldn't help but smile, was he finally letting me in? But then I felt his hands pushing me away and our lips fell apart.

"No, Meg... I-I cannot."

I closed my eyes as I heard the words I have dreaded for a very long time.

"Why? I told you I don't ca-"

"It wouldn't be fair to you!" He pushed away from me and I already felt the coldness of his absence.

"What do you mean?"

"A dead man cannot love, Meg." He said those words with a finality that almost tore my heart.

"But Erik-"

"NO MEG!" I jumped at his reaction.

"I will not curse you as well to a life of torment!"

"I don't-"

He looked at me with a heartbroken stare that made me go silent. I knew him well enough to know that there was no arguing with him. I let my tears fall freely in front of him as he put on his mask again.

"Don't waste your affection on someone who doesn't deserve it."

He walked away into the dusk and didn't look back.

…

 **A month later**

Christine looked absolutely radiant in her wedding dress as she stood in front of the mirror. She was trying it on one last time to make sure that it still fit for the wedding tomorrow. I was her maid of honor and my Mother would walk her down the aisle since she was her adopted mother. Christine swore she wouldn't have it any other way. The ceremony was the talk of the month, more than two-hundred people were invited, and less than half Christine actually invited herself. Raoul had made practically all the arrangements himself, all except tasting the cake or picking out the dress, I insisted on doing that with Christine. The wedding was going to be spectacular and Christine looking spectacular in it, but at times I could see it sometimes, when she's alone or she believes that no one sees her. She looks sad, as if a single thought tormented her heart and mind. I knew of course what it was; she missed Erik… terribly.

Erik was leaving tomorrow night, his friend in Persia finally answered him after so much waiting. And my heart just turned much heavier with a sudden burden that I felt in myself. Should I tell Christine about Erik? Before he leaves… perhaps forever? Even though my heart was still reeling with Erik's rejection I know he simply did it out of fear. And even though it hurts me to admit it, I know that if he saw Christine again his reaction would be very different.

"Meg, are you all right?" Christine interrupted my thoughts as she looked at me through the reflection of the mirror as her maidens took off her dress. Christine didn't want any maidens but Raoul insisted saying: " _You must start to get accustomed to a life as a Vicomtesse_ ".

"Oh, I'm fine. Sorry, I got lost in your beauty." I teased her and she laughed sticking out her tongue, the old playful Christine coming out. How I missed our childhood days when we would tease each other and laugh ourselves to sleep. But those days were fading away alongside our days at the Opera House. Soon she will become _Vicomtesse di Chagny_ and even I won't be able to tease her in any way. Even though Christine has told me time and time again that our relationship would never change I knew that Raoul would not let that happen. Since he sent those men to follow me and kill Erik I haven't exactly been on my most lady-like behavior towards him and I know that he knows why. And I have a feeling that as soon as this wedding passes, Christine would be out of my life forever… although I would fight like a hellcat against that man before I let that happen.

"So, what would you like to do today, Christine? Have all the details of the wedding been finalized?" I asked her as she came out dressed in a cream, simple gown and dismissed her maidens. She sat beside me in her bed and sighed deeply.

"Yes, finally a day of peace Meg. Raoul will be out with his friends around the town celebrating his last night as a bachelor."

"And you?" She smiled at me and for a second, she looked like the Christine I used to know. Before she knew The Phantom of the Opera and she was simply my best friend and adopted sister.

"I will be happy simply spending my day with you, Meg. What would you like to do? Raoul has given me a carriage that we could use. We can go to the newly opened Ballet House and check out the competition." She winked at me. I sighed and looked down at our intertwined hands. As I stared at our hands, I realized that it was now or never, I had made my decision. I had to tell her before it was too late… for her and Erik. I breathed in deeply and somehow in between the broken pieces of my heart I found the strength to say what I had to next.

"Actually, I know where we could go."

"Oh, Where?"

"We can go and see him; The Phantom." Christine's eyes looked as if they were about to come out of her head.

"What? Do you know where he is?" her voice lowered to a whisper.

"Yes… I have always known Christine." She pulled her hands away from me slowly in shock.

"What do you mean?"

"I have always known who the Phantom is… I've known him since I was thirteen years old." She stood up and started walking backward, looking at me as if I had ten heads.

"You have known ALL these years!?"

"Yes, I and mama wanted to tell you but it was a secret we had to keep, as you must already know why."

"And when he started teaching me to sing? Why did you not tell me then; why did you make me believe that it was my Father!?" She started getting red in the face now, but I did not know if she was mad or about to cry. I quickly stood up and tried to hold her hands but she pulled away.

"I wanted to! Believe me, I did! But He swore me to secrecy. He told me he didn't want you to know the real him at the time. He thought you would reject him."

"So you let him deceive me!?"

"Yes! Because I believed that you could love him, Christine, and make him see what a great man he really is and that he was capable of being loved, no matter what he looked like!"

We both stood silent in shock as I could see Christine taking in my words. I was quite surprised at myself that I told her all of this but she needed to know all the truth, no lies, if she was truly going to be able to see Erik completely, for who he was.

"And I know… that you do love him, don't you?" I whispered as the silence went on too long for my liking. "You still do."

She deflated and sat down on the bed again as tears went down her face. I sat next to her but didn't move to comfort her; I simply waited to hear what she might say.

"I do… I think I do." She finally whispered. After a few more moments, she finally took my hands in hers and looked at me with her red eyes.

"What is he like? Really like?" I sighed and did a small smile.

"Why don't you come and see for yourself?"

…

We walked through a dark alley in the Parisian night. It was almost ten o clock as we finally made it to the entrance of Erik's new hiding place, it was the fourth time in a month that Erik moved, just in case Raoul's men came lurking around again. We hid under cloaks and I was the only one with a lantern.

"Are you ready?" I asked Christine in a whisper as I looked around, in case we were followed.

"Yes." She whispered back but I could hear the brokenness in her voice. I quickly opened a heavy, sewer entrance and we went underground.

We walked for about ten minutes in utter darkness until I saw Eric's candlelight from a distance and soon enough, his cot and the rest of his belongings came into view. He was standing in front of his cot, putting clothes in a bag and what seemed like books and sheets of music. I stopped and told Christine to wait before I went towards him.

"Erik?" He quickly stopped what he was doing and looked towards me; walking to me and taking me by the arm, getting protective.

"Meg, what are you doing here? I thought we had agreed that after what happened with Laurent, you would not come to visit me anymore."

"I know but … we wanted to say goodbye."

"Tell your Mother we will say our farewells tomorrow by the pier." He said impatiently.

"It's not my Mother." I quickly said.

"What?" I signaled behind me and Christine came out from the dusk and took off her cloak from the top of her head. Her eyes were glossy and she looked a vision in white.

"Christine." He whispered beside me and I knew that I had faded from his world.

"Hello… E-Erik." She whispered, for the first time saying his real name.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you… I needed to see you." I decided to leave them alone, they must have a lot to talk about and they didn't want me there.

"Well, I will leave you two to it, then." I started walking but I felt Erik tug my arm back.

"Meg—"I looked up at his face and behind his mask I could see fear in his eyes. Oh, Erik, you have nothing to be afraid of. Not with me or her. She loves you as much as I do. I held his hand softly and squeezed it and smiled a little.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." I dared to kiss him on his cheek and he let go of my arm. I walked away from him and passed Christine when she called my name.

" _Merci_." She whispered to me and I did a small smile and nodded.

I walked away and tried to ignore the heaviness in my heart and the tears that wanted to fall.

…

A loud knock on our door in early morning woke me and my Mother up.

"Who could it be at this hour?" My mother whispered to me as I stepped out of my room. A sudden chill went down my spine as I thought of Laurent, although I know it is stupid of me since the man is dead. But many nightmares I've had with him start out like this, I couldn't help myself.

"Do you think it might be Raoul and his men?" Mother whispered again as she wrapped herself around her nightie. All I could do was shrug my shoulders, unable to speak. My mother noticed my hesitation and I could tell she wanted to ask me what was wrong but another knock on the door interrupted the attempt.

"It's me, Helene… Christine." Her voice made me move as fast as I could towards the door and opened it.

Christine had tears running down her face and she was almost sobbing as I took her by the arm and let her in our home. I sat down beside her in our living room and my mother brought her a glass of water to calm her down.

"Christine, my dear, what is it? Has Raoul hurt you?" My Mother asked, completely ignorant of mine and Christine's plans to see Erik. She thought I and Christine simply went out on a night on the town and I came back late. Christine looked at me, the most heartbroken stare I have ever seen her give me and then she whispered something I was never expecting:

"He's gone."

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Erik is gone." She said mid-sob and I felt my arm being tugged so hard I stood up facing my Mother.

"You took her to see him!?" My mother looked at me with narrow eyes that could almost shoot fire.

"Yes!" I exclaimed pulling my arm out of her grasp.

"How could you do that without my consent!?"

"I didn't need your consent, Mother. I had hers and I had Erik's, which was all I needed."

"Do you know the danger that you could have put her in?!"

"I was in no danger." We heard Christine whisper beside us as she wiped her tears away. I sighed and looked at my Mother straight in the eye.

"Erik wanted to see her and it was what made him happy… don't you want him to be happy, Mama?" My Mother didn't say another word so I decided to sit back down next to Christine.

"Christine, what happened?"

"After you left, we… talked, about everything. We finally said the things we had never dared to before." I saw her slightly blush and I couldn't help but tease her.

"So, you're telling me that you just talked all night long?" She looked over at me and I raised my eyebrows at her and she started laughing, her blush getting darker in her cheeks. I tried to hide my own sadness by laughing too. I tried not to think of Christine giving herself completely to Erik and him accepting her with open arms, giving in finally to love. I couldn't hide the fact that I wished that would have been me.

"That was one hell of a conversation." Christine laughed harder and I was glad, at least, to make Christine smile again.

"It was. It meant… everything to me." I saw Christine's eyes get watery and new tears started falling, our moment of laughter falling short.

"But what happened, Christine? Did you have a fight after or…?"

"No, I just woke up and he was gone, Meg! No explanation! He left me this." Christine handed over to me a red rose I hadn't noticed she was holding with a black ribbon tied to it.

"The sad thing is, Meg, I finally realize how much I love him. When I woke up I wanted to tell him that I do not want to marry Raoul anymore, that I wanted to be with him! And that wherever he went, I would follow! But maybe he didn't love me as much as I thought. He just wanted what my bo—"

"No, Christine! That is not true! Erik loves you! You can count my word on it." I had to interrupt her thought of Erik simply wanting her out of lust. I know that Erik loves Christine more than even he could bear.

"Then why did he leave!?" She exclaimed and started sobbing on my shoulder. I looked up at my Mother who looked at Christine with pity and at me with understanding. We both know why Erik ran, for the same reason he always ran… fear.

"Do you think he'll come back? Can you find him?" Christine asked me with a pleading voice dripping with hope. I looked at my Mother again and she simply shook her head. Both I and my Mother knew he was gone for good.

"No, Christine, we can't. He's gone, left Paris." She started sobbing a little harder against me and her body even started to tremble.

"I would have loved him forever, Meg." She whispered to me in a half-broken voice.

"I know, my love. Cry all that you need to tonight because tomorrow the sun will come up and it will be a brighter day and tonight will just be a dream. Tonight, it might seem unbearable but I promise you that by sunrise you will be strong enough to let him go." I whispered as my own tears started falling down my face. I didn't know if I was comforting Christine or myself.

…

After an hour of Christine sobbing uncontrollably, I finally calmed her down and escorted her back home. She wanted to be alone and prepare herself for the wedding today. At first, she didn't want to go through with it but it seemed to her that Erik had made his choice and now she must make hers… Now, she truly chose Raoul.

When I came back home my Mother had fallen asleep again and I laid down to try and catch some sleep since it was an hour till sunrise. My window suddenly burst open and it startled me awake. When I looked around I saw my room still in complete darkness except for the moonlight coming from the open window. I slowly stood up, the white sheets wrapping around my half-naked body, and I closed the window feeling the cold night chill all over me.

I knew he was there in the room… I could feel his eyes on me. I held tighter the sheet around my body, walked over to the side of my bed and lit a candle. The light quickly revealed Erik's presence in the room. He was wearing his black cloak, white shirt, black trousers and his white mask that covered the right side of his face. I didn't know what came over me but I didn't even let him say a word before I walked over to him and slapped him so hard his neck snapped to the side.

"YOU FOOL! YOU DAMN FOOL!" I hit him again, this time so hard he took a step back. "You're a fool, Erik, for you've missed your chance. She has chosen Raoul now." He wasn't reacting; he simply stood there and took it.

"WHY ERIK!?"

"You know why…" he whispered.

"NO, I DO NOT! I wish I knew why you would leave the woman you love abandoned in a sewer after she finally confessed that she loved you!" He looked up at me at that.

"She told you that?"

"Of course she did! She told me everything." He knew what I meant by that.

"I don't understand, Erik. Is that not what you wanted? For Christine to finally love you fully?!" My voice broke and I felt stupid that I let my feelings show.

"Not like this, Meg!" I finally got a reaction from him.

"What do you mean?"

"I am a fugitive! I am a deformed man on the run from her soon-to-be husband who will not stop until he has killed me!"

"I thought you said the attacks stopped?" I remembered him telling me and Mama that.

"I lied." I scoffed.

"I cannot give her what she wants. A life outside of constant darkness, despair and misery! I will not and I cannot tie down that angel to a demon like myself."

"Why do you see yourself like that?!" He exclaimed impatiently and took off his mask and threw it to the floor. He ran toward me so quickly taking me by my arms that the sheet around my body almost slipped through my fingers.

"Look at me, Meg! Because that is WHAT I AM!"

"NO! That is what you CHOOSE TO BE!" I spat at him. "Just because you deny yourself love does not mean no one is willing to do so." I slapped his hands away and moved away from him.

"Damn it, Erik. When will you finally see what I see? What Christine sees! Which is a man; a beautiful man, a good man? Who is capable of so much goodness that if he ever knew it himself, the world would be the better for it?" He simply stood there staring at me in amazement and a sadness that I could not comprehend.

"Is that what you believe me to be, Meg?"

"It does not matter what I believe. You have to believe it yourself." He slowly got the mask off the floor and put it on his right side. He looked at me for a long while, which made me for the first time since he entered my room self-conscious of how I was dressed… or not dressed. He walked over to me, still staring at me with soft eyes. He gently covered my shoulder with the sheet until I was completely covered.

"Goodbye, Meg." He whispered which made look up at him in surprise.

"I thought we would say our farewells in the pier?"

"You and I both know I was never going to say goodbye to you in the pier." I couldn't help but let my tears fall in this moment of finality. Of course I knew; Erik was not one for goodbyes. If it was left to him, he would leave like a thief in the night until we never heard from him again. And then it occurred to me, that's why he came… to say goodbye to me.

He leaned down and kissed me softly on the cheek; lingering in the spot as if he didn't want to separate his lips from my flesh… until he did.

He started walking towards the window and I realized I might never see him again.

"Erik…" He stopped in front of the window. I quickly took the necklace that was around my neck and took it off. It was a golden pendant, the most valuable thing I have ever owned, given to me by my Mother. It's one of the few gifts I have ever truly received from her. It was shaped like a golden rose with a single diamond in the middle of it. She gave it to me on my birthday.

"Take this with you." I walked towards him, the moonlight shining off the pendant.

"You cannot give me this." Erik knew how much the necklace meant to me.

"I want you to have it. You can return it to me when you come back." I said nonchalantly and he looked over at me, knowing that I was bluffing; I knew he might never come back. But I didn't care; I wanted him to remember us in some way. It could be a reminder to him that somewhere he was loved.

"And always remember Erik: A life lived in fear is a life half-lived." I closed his fist around my necklace and he left out my window and didn't look back.


	4. The Love You Deserve

**Chapter Four**

 ** _The Love You Deserve_**

 **Eight years later**

 **1880**

The crowd was roaring so loud that I could hardly hear myself think. They threw flowers at my feet as I received a standing ovation. It was the end of my first headlining debut in the Ballet called _Giselle_. It has always been a dream of mine to be the lead dancer in this Ballet and after so many years of practicing and training, I finally was granted the opportunity. All those years of receiving my Mother's scolding have finally paid off.

The rest of the cast stood behind me in a line, waving and bowing alongside with me, and after what has felt to me like a lifetime; A familiar passion revived in me; that passion and purpose for dance that I have always had and felt ever since I entered a dance studio with my Mother when I was a child. Even throughout all the applause and the cheering from the crowd and feeling a happiness well up in me that I couldn't describe, I couldn't help but think: _How I wish Erik could be here to see me fulfill my greatest dream._ Since I saw the ballet _Giselle_ for the first time I have longed to dance as the lead character, Giselle. But my Mother always told me that I was not good enough.

" _You do not practice enough, Meg. To fulfill your dreams, you must have perseverance, which you lack."_ My Mother's words haunted me for the longest time. And for years, I longedto prove her wrong. To make her realize that I was a worthy enough dancer and that she could be proud of me. As proud or even more than the way she was of Christine.

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I turned around to see a pair of familiar emerald eyes. Benedict, our Director, handed over to me a bouquet of flowers and the crowd's cheers intensified. He embraced me tightly and whispered in my ear: "You were perfect, _Mon amour_."

I tried to hide my blush as I smiled and took the flowers in my arms. He wrapped a hand around my waist and then we joined the rest of the cast hand in hand and bowed again to a closing red curtain. As soon as the curtain closed an explosion of excitement enveloped around me as everyone around me started to celebrate.

"Show well done, everyone!" Benedict exclaimed from beside me as he cupped my face and leaned towards me. "You danced beautifully, Meg." His lips touched mine briefly as I opened my eyes at him and glanced around me hoping no one saw. He knew I didn't like showing affection in front of a crowd, especially my dancing partners. Benedict and I have been together for a year and it is only recently that we've made the relationship public to the rest of the Ballet School. It is not every day that a ballet instructor begins a relationship with one of his dancers.

"Ben!" I whispered, trying to seem annoyed but I couldn't hide a smirk.

"Oh, would you let a man show a woman how proud he is of her." I smiled and took his hand in mine and squeezed it.

"Later." I whispered and winked at him. He laughed and led me away backstage. As we walked, the other dancers would embrace me and tell me things like " _Congratulations_!" or " _Beautiful, Meg_!"

"Thank you!" I would always answer. We kept walking further back towards my dressing room and I found my Mother along the way. She was wearing her familiar black dress that has already made her famous around the Ballet School and held her cane wearing her usual scowl. Now was the defining moment for me. To me, my Mother's opinion in my dancing was always the one who meant the most to me, even if I usually ended up crushed under her heel afterwards.

"Mama! Did you enjoy the ballet?" I asked. Even though I was twenty-nine years old, I felt like a child again, holding my breath, waiting to see what my Mother would say.

"Yes, I did." She answered shortly.

"Wasn't Meg exquisite, Madame Giry?" Benedict asked trying to be supportive. He knows how my Mother was with all her students... especially me.

"Yes, well... you missed a turn in the final dance, Meg. And I told you about that posture, how important it was at the end." I swallowed and tried not to drop my smile.

"Yes, of course, Mama. Forgive me." I felt Benedict's hand squeeze mine as my Mother walked by me.

"We must practice it more for the next performance." And then she was gone. I tried to not let it get to me or let my watery eyes actually release any tears.

"Oh, ignore her, Meg. You were amazing." Benedict whispered as we made it to my dressing room door.

"Yes, well, I'll see you in a few Ben, I'll change quickly." I said trying to enter my dressing room as fast as I could. I felt my throat constrict holding back tears.

"Meg. Wait..." Benedict tugged at my arm and turned me around. He cupped my neck and held me by the waist tightly as he kissed me passionately. This time, I opened my mouth letting him deepen the kiss, the fear and apprehension from before gone completely as I surrendered to the safety in his arms. We separated as soon as we couldn't breathe and I couldn't help but smile as he leaned his forehead on mine. This is one of the reasons this man was able to chip away the ice around my heart and helped me to open myself to the possibility of loving anyone again... after Erik. He could read me in such a way that I couldn't hide anything from him.

"There's that smile. I don't want to see it leave that face again, you hear. This is your night; don't let anyone or anything ruin it." He whispered to me and kissed me one last time before I entered the dressing room, saying I won't be long, with a smile on my face.

I shut the door and sighed, relieved and happy that the show was a success but glad that it was over. It has been the most tiring months of my life preparing for it, but it was worth it. I walked over to the mirror and put the bouquet on top of my white vanity table and looked at myself in the mirror. I took off the small crown on my head that held the almost translucent veil that I wore for my character. My white dress glimmered slightly because of the glitter on it, so did my eyes and my hair which was wrapped in a tight bun. I sat down in front of the vanity table and took off the pins that held up my blonde hair, letting it fall down my back all the way down to my waist. I was going to start to take off my shoes when something caught my eye.

It cannot be... could it?

I saw a single white rose placed beside my bouquet of flowers and I felt my heart start to beat a little faster. I took the familiar rose in my hands and tears started forming in my eyes.

"Hello, Meg." I heard a familiar, deep and masculine voice from behind me. The tears ran down my face as I quickly turned around and saw the familiar white mask and deep, brown eyes.

"Erik!" I didn't know what came over me but I quickly stood up from my chair and jumped on his arms, wrapping my own around his neck. I heard him grunt from the impact and he didn't fully respond to the embrace until a few moments passed and I felt his arms slowly wrap around my waist.

"I-I cannot believe you are here!" I couldn't stop myself from letting tears fall from my eyes. A day has not gone by that I have not thought of Erik and the last time I saw him. I always wondered where he was, if he was safe, if he was alive. So I took this moment in of feeling him again wrapped in my arms.

"Did you really think I'd miss my favorite dancer's debut?" He whispered in my ear. I shook my head a little and smiled, finally letting him go. I leaned back and saw the slight wrinkles on his left eye and a certain tiredness I hadn't noticed before. Erik looked older and less wild; something in his brown eyes was different. Instead of showing what they used to, this was, to me, an eternal torment. His eyes were always a brown storm of so many emotions he didn't know what to do with them. But now, I did not see that storm anymore… could it be that he has finally found peace in some way?

"I am pretty sure you did not come all this way, after all these years, to see me dance?" He wiped away my tears slowly and had a look on his face that I couldn't decipher.

"Is it really that hard to believe?" His soft touch on my face made me close my eyes for a miniscule moment but I tried to snap out of it. I guess I couldn't help myself, or my heart which was beating so loud I heard it in my ears. I have just missed this man so much that seeing him stand right in front of me again has almost made me forget how I've dedicated all of these years to erase him from my heart.

"I had to see you finally fulfill your dream, Meg." He said. I walked backwards, away from his touch, and sat down in my chair again; a much more important question burning in my tongue.

"Please, stop toying with me Erik. Just tell me where you have been all this time?" He sighed as if knowing that the question would be inevitable.

"In Persia, mostly, but I have gone all the way to America and back. I had to keep moving and traveling to make sure Raoul's men weren't following me. They never stopped, Meg. His men followed me all the way to New York."

"What?! Raoul never stopped hunting you?"

"No, not until about three years ago. This is another reason why I've risked coming here, Meg. I think I have found a way to finally be able to live my life without being in hiding."

"What do you mean?"

"In my travels, I've heard about a phenomenon called "plastic surgery"."

"Surgery?"

"Yes, I've read and heard that they would be able to recreate my face." My eyes widened at this. I have never imagined Erik with a new face before, it had never even crossed my mind.

"But Erik, that sounds dangerous."

"I do not know all the risks yet but my Persian friend has found out for me that here, in France, there is an expert on the subject and he can tell me if that will be possible." I saw in Erik's eyes a slight glimmer, it was hope. Erik actually felt hope for himself and I've been wanting that for him for such a long time that I was not about to question it.

"Well, I am happy for you Erik. It is your dream, after all." I looked down at the white rose I still held in my hand and fondly remembered the first time I met the man standing in front of me. For such a long time, he was looking for hope and now he was finally getting it. I slightly jumped when I felt two hands take mine and I looked up to see Erik kneeling in front of me.

"If it had not been for you, Meg, my dream would never have been able to be reality." I looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?"

A loud knock on the door interrupted us and I quickly jumped up and walked towards it.

"Meg, darling, are you ready yet?" I heard Benedict's muffled voice from the other side of the door and it was like his voice woke me up from a dream-like state. I looked behind me and signaled Erik to hide somewhere behind the door. He simply nodded and started to move while I opened the door with only my head sticking out.

"I am so sorry, Benedict. I'll be right out."

"If you are having trouble, _Mon amour,_ I'll happily assist you." Benedict teased me while he smirked. I tried to hide my blush and not think of Erik standing behind me. I simply smiled shyly and looked down.

"If you assist me, my love, I won't get out of here any quicker." He laughed heartily and pecked me on the lips.

"I'll wait for you here, then. Hurry, Meg, they are waiting for us outside." I quickly nodded and closed the door.

"I hope he is giving you the love that you deserve, Meg." Erik whispered to me and I was so surprised that I didn't know what to say. "I better leave you."

"Where are you going to go?" I whispered back.

"It is better that you don't know." I couldn't help but look down disappointed at that. After all these years, he wasn't going to tell me where I could find him? Did he not trust me anymore? As if sensing what I felt, he took my chin and raised my head to look up at him.

"I promise you that we will see each other again. I just don't want you to get hurt like last time." I still have nightmares from that night with Laurent, although fewer than before, so I did not argue with him.

"You promise?" I whispered, with a slight more desperation in my voice, holding his arm. I just… I didn't want to let him go. The last time he left I thought I would never see him again. He kissed me on my cheek, reminding me of the last time I saw him and then kneeled down and opened a part of the carpet on the floor that had an oubliette.

"How did you know that was there?" I whispered in surprise.

"France may have changed in the surface but thankfully, the underground still remains the same." He winked at me and then disappeared through the oubliette, his dark cloak following behind him and left within me a feeling that I thought I had left buried eight years ago.

…

"Meg! You danced perfectly!" Christine's arms embraced me outside the Ballet House where she was waiting for me with my Mother.

" _Merci_ , Christine. I thought you were not going to be able to make it!" I hugged her tightly for a few seconds, lingering, it had been months since I had seen her. She had been touring endlessly through Europe and America as the famous Opera singer Christine Daaé "The Angel" as they call her now. She has made her name internationally known in the last three years or so, her involvement in the mysterious _Palais Garnier_ fire forever forgotten. Now, twenty-eight years old, dressed in an amazing and expensive aqua gown; the young, naïve Christine I used to know when I was younger was long gone. She was now a _Comtesse_ and a Mother.

"I persuaded Raoul to come." She whispered.

"How in the world did you manage that?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. Raoul, in their eight years of marriage, had showed that he could be controlling of Christine's life and career. The woman does not leave the house without him knowing about it or coming with her.

"I told him that I would not sing again." I widened my eyes at that.

"That would work." I said. Raoul and Christine throughout the years have had money problems, almost going bankrupt once. But of course, all of it a well-kept secret, and the only thing that gave them sustenance was Christine's blooming musical career. Her status as an impeccable Opera singer has risen to a social recognition that even surpasses Raoul di Chagny, much to his despair. Raoul knows that if he loses Christine, it won't be long before he ends up on the street. Christine has never truly known in what Raoul spends so much money on but I have always had a feeling in what… and the reason has appeared in my life again after eight years.

"But I do not regret my decision, Meg. You almost made me cry, I am so happy for you! You achieved your dream." She smiled at me with a bright smile that reminded me of our childhood years.

"Auntie Meg!" I heard a small voice exclaim from behind Christine and then a small boy ran up to me and threw himself at me, wrapping his arms around my neck tightly.

"You were great, Auntie Meg!"

"Thank you, Philippe. Did you like it?!"

"Of course, ask Mama, I couldn't stop humming the songs."

"He wasn't quiet the whole evening, that's for sure." Raoul said, appearing behind Christine, his arms wrapping around Christine's waist, tightly it seemed, making her flinch slightly. I tried to not let my anger show in my face. Throughout the years, I've learned to tolerate this man, waiting for the moment Christine would be brave enough to finally leave him. After all these years, the only reason Christine has suffered Raoul's possession of her is because of the little boy in my arms. But now, knowing that Raoul still to this day has tried to kill Erik, it makes me wonder just how far this monster of a man is going to go?

"The music was beautiful, Auntie Meg, and you were beautiful dancing to it."

"She was, wasn't she?" Benedict appeared beside me and the bile in my throat went down a little and I held on tighter to Philippe, trying to calm myself.

"Yes, which is why I think we should go celebrate!" Christine exclaimed.

"No, that is out of the question." Raoul said suddenly and in a final way. Christine's smile was wiped off her face.

"Darling, but why?" She asked, her voice lowering slightly.

"I have business to attend to early in the morning. We must be leaving, now. Meg, _Monsieur_ Benedict, it was a pleasure to witness such majestic art in your ballet." Benedict shook his hand and nodded, saying thank you.

"But Papa I don't want to lea-!"

"Say goodbye to everyone, Philippe." Raoul ordered. Philippe looked over to his Mother who simply sighed and nodded to him, signaling him to obey.

"Goodbye, Auntie Meg." He whispered in my ear and gave me a kiss in my cheek.

"Goodbye, my darling, we will see each other soon." I laid him down on the ground and he looked up at me with a familiar pair of brown eyes. I patted his head lightly, his ebony hair was soft to the touch, and kissed him on the cheek. Christine embraced me tightly and we said our farewells. And as they walked away, Philippe looked back at us with his eyes watery and the saddest look on his face. And in that moment, I could see his father staring back at me… I saw Erik staring back at me.


	5. Reunion

**Chapter Five**

 ** _Reunion_**

 **That same night hours later**

I closed the door to my home after a very long night celebrating with Benedict and the rest of the Ballet Company. My feet were killing me and I felt exhausted; I couldn't wait to feel the bed under me and leave this night behind me. I haven't stopped thinking about Erik for the whole evening, even while I held Benedict's hand as he complimented me over and over to others about my dancing. Where could he be? Is he alone in a dark sewer somewhere? Is he all right, has he eaten? I found myself remembering the last time I was so worried about him; it was eight years ago, the first night after he had left my life for what I thought would be forever. Now, here I was again, worrying ceaselessly about him and with a familiar feeling that made my heartbeat erratic. I tried to calm myself as I took off my shoes and my coat.

 _You had moved on from him, Meg, a long time ago. You promised yourself to forget him._

I shook my head and tried to forget about my thoughts as I walked to my bedroom. I was startled to see that my carbon arc lamp, an expensive gift from Benedict for my birthday this year, was already lit.

 _Did I leave it on before I left?_

I walked quickly inside and I gasped as I saw a familiar body on my bed.

"Erik!" I exclaimed and went running towards the bed and panicked as I saw my sheets red from all of the blood. His dark coat was on the floor and I could see traces of blood coming from my opened window. I took his pulse but it was weak.

"NO! Erik! Do not you dare die on me!" He was only unconscious but he had lost a lot of blood. His hands were red from holding a cloth tightly to his chest. I moved his hand from his chest and quickly opened his white, cotton shirt. There seemed to be a bullet wound in the right part of his chest. They, miraculously, missed his heart completely.

 _Who could have shot you? Was it Raoul?_

I had no time to think about that, I had to save him before it was too late. I quickly got my emergency kit from the hospital I work in. The bullet seemed to be still inside, blocking some of the blood flow; I had to get it out as fast as I could.

" _Meg_." I heard Erik whisper almost inaudible. He reached over to a necklace that was hanging around his neck. I gasped surprisingly as I realized it was my necklace, the one I gave to him before he left. I can't believe he never took it off. This only made me more determined, I had to save him.

"I am here, Erik. Stay strong, keep hearing the sound of my voice; Look into the light." I said to him as I swiftly opened my kit and started to get the bullet out of him.

I was not going to lose him, not again.

…

 **The Next Morning**

I was brewing coffee when I heard footsteps coming from my bedroom. When I looked behind me, I saw Erik hunching over as he leaned against my bedroom's doorway, with only his black trousers on, a white bandage on his chest and some of his abdomen, without his mask. Surprisingly, it wasn't a shock to me after all these years to see his deformed face. I dreamt so much about it for these past years, it felt quite familiar.

"Erik, you should not be walking yet!" I quickly ran over to him and I felt him fall over slightly on me.

"Why can't I see straight?" He whispered to me.

"I injected you with some morphine last night for the pain. Just give it time and you will be able to see straight again but you must sit down." I laid him down on my sofa and he fell hard on his back. I checked his stitches and they had not come off.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him. He sighed loudly and looked up at me but he couldn't really focus them, his eyes looked right past me.

"I feel like I have been shot." He said annoyed. I rolled my eyes and grinned. It seemed he was feeling better, his familiar temper showing.

"A simple 'thank you' will suffice." I answered equally as annoyed, although not really. I walked back to the kitchen and served a cup of coffee with some croissants in a small, crystal plate and returned back to Erik's side.

"Here, Erik, you need to eat something." I set the plate and the cup on the table in front of him and he simply grumbled negatively.

"Come on, Erik, sit up straight, you have to eat something, especially after losing all that blood." I said firmly. He sighed raising himself from the sofa and I helped him to sit up. His eyes were a bit more focused now; the morphine's side effects must be wearing off. He took a bite from the croissant and he started to drink and eat in silence. But I soon lost my patience.

"Are you going to explain to me what happened last night or do I need to guess?"

"Can I not eat in peace?"

"No! I arrived here to you lying on my bed half-dead, Erik! What happened?! Was it Raoul?" I inquired desperately. He looked up at me, noticing my worry, but last night wasn't easy nursing him back to health. Erik was on the edge of death, if I had arrived a minute later, I would be burying his body this morning.

"Be calm, Meg, I am fine. I am alive, you saved my life. Thank you for that, by the way." He looked deeply into my eyes and I held back some tears. I averted his eyes looking down at my lap.

"You really scared me, last night, Erik." I whispered.

"I know and I am sorry. I did not know where else to go."

"How did you know where to find me?" I asked as I looked up at him curiously. He grinned and kind of squinted as if dreading what he was about to say.

"Your Mother."

"What! You have spoken with Mama, when?"

"We've been writing letters for the past years." He squinted as I slammed my hand on the table, making the plate jump.

"You mean to tell me that you have written to my Mother for the past eight years!?"

"Yes! But it was only once every two years. I made her promise not to tell you."

"Why? I was so worried about you! A single word would have been nice to know that you were alive."

"I wanted you to move on from me, Meg, to be unburdened by me and you were." He actually grinned at me as if that was what I really wanted. But I did not insist on it, not wanting him to know that moving on from him was something I still fought hard to be able to do still to this day.

"Well, anyway, I guess I should just be glad you are here now. But you still haven't answered my question… what happened last night?" I asked and he sighed as he finished eating his croissant. He was hungry, poor man.

"Raoul's men found me. I was discreetly heading out of the doctor's office I told you about and they attacked me. They must have spotted me coming out of the show last night, in some way."

"Raoul did urge Christine and…" I was about to mention Philippe's name but I was not sure if Erik knew about him yet, I decided not to. "And ran right out of there; He didn't let her celebrate with me and Benedict. But this doctor's office was open so late at night?"

"My Persian friend arranged it to be so. He explained to the doctor about my… situation, the doctor agreed to meet me in later hours. I walked only a few blocks when they attacked me. I tried fighting them back, and I was winning, until one of them got out a gun. I tried to run but I, obviously, was unable to unscathed." He moved his shoulder slightly and grunted in pain.

"Erik, don't, the stitches can come off." I quickly stood up and sat on the table in front of him to look at his stitches. He opened his arms slightly as I took off the bandage to see his wound.

"The stitches seem to be holding on pretty well. But you won't be able to do any real big movements for at least two weeks, or you could run the danger of bleeding internally." I softly touched his chest and tried to ignore the firmness of his muscles. Erik seemed to have a much stronger body since he left and his skin was not as pale as it used to be eight years ago. It seems he took some sun in Persia. I couldn't quite picture Erik under the sun, yet if he did find his way to any type of light that was not the moonlight, I am happy for that.

I put the bandage back on and looked up at him and was surprised to see how close I was to him. My nose was inches from his and I could even see the golden necklace still around his neck. I hadn't dared mention it to him. I noticed that he was looking at me rather differently; I had never seen him look at me that way before.

"You have become quite a nurse, Meg. I was very lucky to have you to attend to me through the night." He whispered, making goose bumps come up my arms. But he was so near I could feel his breath on my face.

"Who… Did Mama tell you I was a nurse?" I answered back in a whisper as well. I found myself lost for words. I had not noticed how much I missed his closeness.

"Yes. I was quite surprised when she wrote that to me four years ago. I did not know you wanted to be a nurse." He kept talking in his low, baritone voice, making my heartbeat speed up.

"I didn't either but I had a lot of practice with a certain…Phantom. I needed the money so I decided to put my practice to good use." He actually smiled softly and took my hand slowly. As soon as I felt his skin on mine, electricity surged through me that almost made me gasp. Erik has never handled me this way before, with so much care; I was so bewildered with his actions right now.

"You always did have very soft hands." He whispered to me and then softly linked his fingers through mine. I held my breath as I felt the softness of his fingers between mine. It was almost seductive in a way.

"I thought you never liked me healing you?" I whispered back, a desire started to well up in me that I have not felt in eight years. He closed his fingers and squeezed my hand softly and I held his too.

"I lied." He answered back and I felt his voice all the way down my spine. He leaned in and lowered his lips to my hand and kissed it, with a lingering kiss that made me long for them to be on mine. He looked up at me with his eyes sparkling. Was that desire in his eyes? For me? It couldn't be.

"I've lied to myself for a very long time." He whispered.

"What do you mean?" I whispered back.

A loud knock on the door interrupted our moment and made me snap back to reality. We quickly released our hands and I found myself standing up to go towards the door.

"I'll get that." I answered quickly, just wanting to get as much distance from Erik as possible.

"Who is it?" I asked loudly.

"It's me, Meg." I heard my Mother's voice loud and clear from the other side. I had forgotten that I had called her from my carbon based telephone. I opened the door and there she was her usual black dress and holding a cane.

"Hello, Mother. I'm glad you could come."

"Of course I did, where is he? Is he all right?" My Mother asked firmly as if this was my entire fault. That is always her tone towards anyone, really.

"Yes, he's fine."

"Good. Why are you blushing?" My Mother asked suddenly. I widened my eyes in surprise. Was I blushing?

"I—it must be the heat." I answered quickly. I heard a low, deep chuckle behind me and it was my Mother's turn to be surprised as I heard Erik's voice behind me.

"Hello, Helene." He greeted my Mother as she whisked right by me and embraced him. He had, thankfully, put on his shirt.

I closed the door and tried to forget whatever just happened between me and Erik.

…

 **Two weeks later**

A loud knock on the door echoed throughout my humble apartment. It was almost midnight; I had just arrived from my shift at the hospital and was exhausted. I got up from my bed very annoyed and put on a robe over my nightgown. Who could it possibly be at this hour? When I exited my room I was surprised to see that a masked Erik was already standing in my living room and seemed to be about to open the door.

"Wait, Erik! You shouldn't answer it." I whispered quickly.

"Do not worry Meg, I know who it is. I called him." Erik answered me as I looked at him confused as he opened the door. I was surprised to see a man, with ebony skin and jade eyes. He wore a cap that seemed foreign and had on dress clothes.

"Good Evening, my friend." The man at the door answered with a deep, baritone voice with a particular accent.

" _Daroga_!" Erik exclaimed. The two men embraced and I was shocked. I had never seen Erik show that type of affection to another man. This quickly got my attention; it seems Erik knew him from a long time ago.

"I am glad you could make it. Come in." Erik quickly said but the man did not enter.

"I would love to, Erik, but not unless the lady gives us permission." The man's green eyes looked back at me, making Erik notice me as well. He seemed to have forgotten my presence. "This is your home, _Mademoiselle_ , only you can order who comes in or out. Don't let this man think he's chief when he is not."

I smiled at his honesty which made Erik slightly embarrassed.

"Forgive me, _Daroga_ , this is Meg Giry." Erik introduced me and I walked towards the man and we shook hands.

"You must be Erik's mysterious Persian friend." I said. The Persian chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, I am afraid so, Ms. Giry. And you must be Erik's _danseur_. He's told me quite a lot about you." I couldn't help but blush.

"I wish I could say the same. But do please, come in, my door is always open for Erik's savior."

As the Persian entered, I had not noticed the man behind him. A shorter man than the Persian, wearing a hat, a suit, a coat and handling a cane, walked inside. He had light, blonde hair and green eyes, although not as green as the Persian's.

"Hello, Ms. Giry, I am Dr. _Coupe_." I shook his hand but Erik must have seen my confusion because he quickly introduced him as well.

"Meg, this is the surgeon I spoke to you about."

"Oh, then very nice to meet you, _Monsieur Coupe_."

"Pardon us, for disturbing you at such late hour. But it seems my client's health did not allow him to be able to come to my office." Dr. Coupe said, surprisingly worried, as he looked over to Erik.

"Apologies, Dr. Coupe, I have been… ill." Erik touched his chest, as he usually does to touch his stitches, he was able to move a little bit more now, but he was still slightly weak. His recovery has been slow.

"Erik, you could have at least warned me." I said, slightly annoyed, as I shut the door.

"It was a matter of urgency, Meg." Erik answered back and I simply sighed. I wanted to argue with him but I guess I'll save it for later. I wasn't going to discuss this with him in front of our guests.

"I understand. Well, anyway, would you like something to drink, gentlemen?"

"No, we are fine, mademoiselle, we promise you this will be quick and you can go back to sleep." Dr. Coupe answered me. I hadn't noticed the black bag he was holding or the stethoscope around his neck.

"Sit down Erik, please, and take off your mask." Dr. Coupe said and Erik did as he was told. Dr. Coupe did not even flinch at Erik's deformity; it appears he had seen it before.

"Ms. Giry, may I bother you with some light?" Dr. Coupe asked as he stood over Erik who was sitting down on my sofa. I only had candlelight in my living room.

"Oh, of course." I quickly got my carbon lamp from my bedroom, which was what I had that shone the brightest and turned it on. Erik turned his face toward the light; the doctor put on some gloves and examined him for some time. He took measurements and wrote them down on a small notebook he had.

"So, can it be done?" Erik asked as the doctor put away his gloves. The doctor sighed, apparently torn by what he was going to say.

"Yes, I daresay it can be done but—"'

"But what?" The Persian asked.

"The procedure could be life-threatening for you, Erik." Dr. Coupe answered and I gasped making all of the men look at me but the doctor continued.

"You see, the part of your cheek and your lips are easy to fix, but I would have to be reconstructing near to parts of your brain also. That is much more delicate. If the piece does not take then it can cause greater cerebral damage, maybe even cause a stroke. A wrong cut can cause internal bleedi-."

"I was told that you were the finest at your craft, _Monsieur_ , I was unaware that you had loose fingers!" Erik's temper soon rose and he stood up from the sofa, making The Persian get in between him and the doctor quickly.

"Erik, my friend, calm yourself." The Persian said in a warning tone.

"No, I do not have loose fingers but I am not perfect, either. I am not a proud man and it is my ethic and professional duty to warn you about the risks."Dr. Coupe said with a slight tremor in his voice, he must know a little about Erik's past. Maybe he even knows about " _The Phantom of the Opera_ ".

"Now, I will perform the surgery if you wish it, but it is your decision, Erik."

A silence swept across the room as we all waited for Erik's answer. Erik looked straight towards me, directly to my eyes, as he replied.

"Yes."

"What!?" I exclaimed.

"I knew there had to be some risks to all this Meg, but I don't care." Erik answered me but he averted my eyes now.

"Erik, it is not worth losing your life!"

"Yes it is!" He shouted. The doctor and the Persian slowly fell back as they tried to give us some space. I walked closer towards Erik and stood in front of him as he looked up at me.

"Is an esthetic surgery really the solution Erik?" I whispered to him as I remembered the hour.

"I will never have a full life if I don't do this." He pleaded at me.

"Of course you can have a full life. You only need to accept yourself, for who you are, Erik. You just need to realize how beautiful you are. Please, you don't need to do this." I begged him and couldn't fight the way that my voice broke. He caressed my cheek with his hand and actually grinned at me.

"You have always thought of me that way, haven't you?" He whispered at me.

"Always." A tear ran down my face and he wiped it away. He seemed as if he would almost kiss me but he pulled back. Why was I disappointed? I shouldn't be disappointed.

"I am sorry, Meg. I want you to know that I do believe in the man you see but… Raoul will not stop and I cannot live in darkness anymore. I truly believe this is my only solution." I closed my eyes in disappointment.

"Name the day and time, Dr. Coupe and I will be there." Erik said to the men behind me.

"The closest date I have is in two months' time. Can you wait until then?" Dr. Coupe asked as I turned around to look at him.

"So long?" Erik asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"I am sorry but being one of the few in my field, I have a lot of demand. I promise you that if someone cancels their appointment, you are the first one I'll call." Erik sighed and nodded.

"I will compensate you when it is done." Erik told the doctor.

"Of course." The doctor answered. I am quite certain the doctor did not argue with that for if Erik died in surgery, I don't think compensation would be in order for him.

All of the men began to leave and Erik stayed in the living room putting back his mask as I accompanied them to the door. The Persian took me by the arm and whispered in my ear:

"Take good care of him _Mademoiselle_ ; he will need your support in this." I simply nodded and then Dr. Coupe told me something that surprised me.

"The love you have for each other is touching. Don't let it fade away, Miss Giry, it's not one you find nowadays, especially for men who have been treated so cruelly by fate."Dr. Coupe said as he tipped his hat in goodbye and left me speechless. Meanwhile, the Persian closed the door behind them with a smirk on his face.

…

 **A month later**

I have a plan. It may backfire, very badly, but Erik needed to know about his son. If he knew, he would not dare take such a risky procedure. Maybe by realizing what he would leave behind; A family, a son, it might convince him not to do the surgery.

I had asked my Mother if she ever told Erik about Philippe in their letters and she confessed that she didn't. She found that it was not her secret to tell; that if anyone should tell him, it should be Christine but I still was not sure if even to tell Christine that Erik was back (for I knew Raoul would never tell her). If Erik's plan does go through, then Erik would want a new identity, and it would be better if Christine knew nothing of it. But I was about to set some things in motion that just might save Erik's life… hopefully. It had to.

I woke up early one morning and made me and Erik some breakfast. Erik was healing quite nicely; he was now able to walk freely around my apartment and he even started composing. I had a pianoforte in my living room that I hardly ever used because I found I did not have the time. Of course, I was not as talented as Erik but sometimes I would play some tunes, I found it was quite relaxing. But I still had not heard Erik sit down and play, when he does, I know that he will finally be himself again.

In the last month, he broods a lot but he hasn't had a tantrum, like he used to have before. I know that he's been anxious waiting for Dr. Coupe to call him and tell him that an appointment had cancelled. While he was wishing for the call, I was dreading it. Therefore, yesterday I put my plan into motion, hopefully, this will work.

"Erik, would you like to come and have a walk with me today?" I subtly asked as I was sitting down in my small dining table having some breakfast, while he had his over at the pianoforte, apparently quite focused on a new composition.

"A walk?" He answered with a slight surprise in his tone.

"Yes, I am going out to take care of a small boy whose Mother is out of town, she asked me to look out for him today. I was thinking of taking him to the fair that is going to be running this week. You should come, the sun will do you good and you can get out of my cramped apartment. I know you're dying to get out of here." I said as nonchalantly as I could. He was shaking his head before I even finished speaking.

"No, Meg, I cannot go out like this."

"Why not? I am sure with a good disguise and some makeup you'll be able to lose yourself in the crowd quite easily."

"No." He said with a tone of finality in his voice, but I wasn't going to let him go that easily.

"I can even call The Persian and he can get some nice clothes for you."

"No, Meg." He answered me, getting irritated.

"Come on, Erik, it will do you good to get out an—"

"I said no!" I almost jumped as he exclaimed quite forcefully and turned around from the pianoforte, looking at me with his unmasked face. He never wore it here, knowing that it did not matter to me. I sighed, knowing that it was not going to be easy. But I knew there was something that he would not be able to resist.

"Fine, I thought you would have liked to accompany us later in the night to the new opening of the Opera House but, if you insist." I got up and left him speechless in the living room. I changed my clothes and got ready to leave. Philippe would be waiting for me at the fair where Raoul would drop him off in twenty minutes. If I wasn't there, the bastard would leave with him, I was sure of it. He didn't approve of me spending time with Philippe.

"Well, if you change your mind, I will be at this address until about noon, and then we will be leaving for lunch." I wrote the address of the fair on a parchment of paper and left it on the table.

Hopefully, Erik would appear.

…

"Auntie Meg!" Philippe exclaimed as he ran out of the carriage and jumped into my arms. He had just arrived with Raoul behind him as we stood by the fair's entrance. There were a lot of people, the " _City of Wonders_ " Fair had taken France by storm and every French woman, man and child wanted to see it. And dear Philippe certainly was one of them.

"You will take care of him, Meg." Raoul said as he stood with a pompous air I wish I could slap right out of him.

"Of course, I will, Raoul. He's in better hands than he could ever be with you." I shot back at him and Raoul simply grinned, a sly grin, as if he already won whatever argument I could try to begin because of his social title.

"I want him at eight sharp at the Opera House, Christine and I will be waiting for him."

"When does Mama arrive, Papa?" Philippe asked as he held my hand tightly.

"She arrives at about six; she will be heading straight to the Opera House to perform for the Opening."

"Poor Christine, she can't have even a small rest after a long journey." I glared at him, knowing it was his doing.

"It is her job, Meg." Raoul spat back.

"Yes, her job, but she is not a slave." I shot at him. He sighed in impatience and walked towards me and I instinctively put Philippe behind me.

"You better be careful, Ms. Giry, with what you say to me. You will find your connections with my family can be severed." Raoul whispered at me as he put his face inches from mine.

"What are you going to do, Raoul? Kill me?" I answered back, not moving an inch, although my heartbeat got a little fast. He stared at me for some time, wondering if I knew something or not, I put my face emotionless, simply focusing on the child behind me.

"Do not tempt me, Meg." He simply scoffed and patted Philippe's head, as if he just made a joke.

"I want to see you in the Opera House at eight sharp!" He yelled before he got into his carriage and they whisked him away to his next destination.

Which I secretly wished was Hell.

"Auntie Meg, are you all right?" Philippe asked me as I let go a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Yes, of course, Philippe. Come on! There's much to see!" Philippe smiled and I saw Erik's smile on his face which quickly brought me joy. "Where's your Ben, Auntie Meg? Is he not coming?" Philippe asked. I was startled by his question, I had not thought of Ben at all today, to my shame.

"He must be at the Ballet Company, practicing his heart away, I'm sure." I answered, although I honestly did not know if he was at the company today. I suddenly felt very guilty for not inviting him. But I was hoping that a certain person would have been here with me today and reuniting him with his son would be very strange if Ben was with me, so that made me feel a little at ease. But I really hoped Erik would make it today.

…

Hours later, it was about three in the afternoon and Philippe had dragged me all around the fair, I was completely exhausted. The boy didn't even want to leave and have some lunch.

"Let's eat here, Auntie Meg. I don't want to lose the circus act!" Philippe exclaimed excitedly.

"All right, Phil, just give me some time to breathe." I pleaded with him with a smile on my face as he played a mini bowling game and tried to knock out the pins for a prize. The circus act wasn't for an hour but the boy was so excited, I didn't dare take him away from all this. The fair hadn't emptied since we've arrived, it seemed the more time we were here the more it filled with people. But the person I was really longing to see did not appear anywhere. I had lost hope by the third hour we were here and he still did not appear. That Erik sure was stubborn.

"Auntie Meg, I couldn't do it!" Philippe cried at me as he lost the game.

"Oh, Phil, but you have won all the rest of the games."

"Yes, but I wanted to win this one!" I laughed as I couldn't help but picture a certain Phantom who was equally as competitive.

"I can help you with that." A familiar voice startled me from behind.

"You can? How?" Philippe asked the man behind me. When I turned around I couldn't help the smile that the view brought to my face.

Erik came with the Persian as his companion. He wore a very well hidden mask that matched the color of his skin and with what I suspected was a heavy use of makeup to blend it with his face. He also wore a nice suit and an elegant top hat that I am sure it was to help him cover his face more. He was rather elegant and looked like a gentleman, almost unrecognizable.

"I am very skilled at this game." Erik answered Phil as he secretly smiled at me and then joined Phil at the game. The Persian silently stood beside me with a grin.

"Was this your doing?" I whispered to him.

"No, _mademoiselle_ , this was entirely your doing." The Persian whispered back to me with a grin and I couldn't help but smile.

…

Erik and Philippe got along miraculously well. After Erik introduced himself as my friend " _Monsieur Leroux_ " and The Persian as his personal assistant, Philippe let his guard down quite easily. Of course, I am quite sure this had something to do with Erik being able to win all of the games and he would give the boy his prize. The Persian and I couldn't help but hide our hidden smirks because of their competitiveness, although it was all very innocent. But I wondered if Erik had noticed it or not, in my heart I hope he did. I hope he noticed it from the very first moment He saw Philippe, but it did not seem so.

After we saw the circus act, which to my amusement made Erik extremely irritated, we headed for some dinner.

"That was an insult to our intelligence. I cannot believe they are calling that _entertainment_ these days." Erik spat out as we walked towards a carriage that was property of The Persian's.

"Are you missing the Opera house, Phantom?" I whispered jokingly in his ear with a smile. I was surprised to see him scowl.

"No, Meg, I actually do not." He answered seriously when we entered the carriage and then did not say another word. We all left the excited chattering of Philippe fill the silence.

…

" _Monsieur Leroux_ " treated us all to dinner and Philippe's curiosity finally got the best of him.

"How do you know Auntie Meg, Monsieur Leroux?" Philippe asked to my surprise. Philippe had called me that way all evening but Erik had not asked me why, to my relief.

"Well, we have been friends for many years." Erik answered calmly.

"Where did you meet?" Philippe insisted.

"We met at an Opera House, many years ago; your Aunt was a mere child, learning to dance." Erik looked over at me with warmth in his eyes and I smiled. I knew the same memory that came to me was going through his mind as well.

"Auntie dances beautifully doesn't she!?" Philippe exclaimed while smiling at me. I could see Erik's smile in Philippe's face and I saw something in the Persian's eyes that made me think that he saw it also. But if Erik had noticed something he did not say anything, he merely stretched out his hand and took mine firmly.

"Yes, she does, your Aunt is my favorite ballet dancer." Erik looked at me fondly and a blush quickly formed in my cheeks.

"She is mine too." Philippe looked down at our hands and his eyes looked up at curiously. I slowly let go of Erik's hands not wanting Philippe to get the wrong idea.

"And what do you do, Mr. Leroux?" Philippe asked his inquiry unfinished. Erik simply smiled and answered the boy.

"I guess you could say… I am a businessman and composer."

"You write music!?" Philippe exclaimed.

"Philippe loves music, he wants to be a composer too one day." I added, explaining Philippe's excitement.

"Really? What made you want to write music?" Erik asked, equally interested. I could see his eyes shine a little, that familiar passion of his surging through. Erik did not say it out loud but I know he missed composing music. He was a musical genius and geniuses needed to keep their minds busy with what they were truly born to do or they would go mad. At night, I could hear Erik pacing back and forth in the living room wanting to write something but it has apparently been to no use. I hope he finds that inspiration soon.

"My mama is a great singer. My dream is to be able to compose for her one day." Philippe explained with a smile on his face but my heart started to beat erratically. This could be the moment.

"Is she?" Erik asked with a smile but it seemed he merely smiled because of Philippe's innocence in wanting to achieve his dream for his Mother.

"Oui, Monsieur. They even call her " _The Angel of Opera_ ". Erik's fork slammed down on the plate.

"Philippe, I think we should get going, speaking of your Mother, I had promised her to get you early to the Opera House." I quickly interrupted them and I shoved The Persian under the table to do the same.

"Oui, Monsieur, we should be going as well."

Erik composed himself rather quickly and we all left for the Opera as soon as we could.

…

Christine's angelic voice filled the Opera house as she finished her Aria. For a second, I thought I was back in _the Palais Garnier_ all those years ago, where all our lives changed forever.

"Does she not sing beautiful, Monsieur?" I heard Philippe ask Erik, who sat beside us with The Persian. Thankfully, we were able to be seated separately from Raoul. He always asked for his own private box when he came to the Opera.

When I looked over at Erik, he had an indescribable look on his face. I couldn't really know what he was thinking but his eyes were fixed on Christine and her divine voice which filled the entire room.

"Yes, she still does." I heard Erik whisper but Philippe didn't hear him; he was too entranced hearing his Mother sing.

…

"It was truly a pleasure, my young friend, to spend this day with you." Erik said as he bowed to Philippe, saying his farewells outside of the Opera House.

"I had fun, _Monsieur Leroux_! We have to do it again!" Philippe exclaimed with a smile on his face.

"Meg!" A female voice rang through the air as we saw Christine and Raoul appear from the crowd. I entered in a panic but tried to hide it. Although, Erik's disguise was quite good, I hardly recognized him, but I still panicked. What if Christine recognized him? Or worse, what if Raul recognized him?

"Christine! You sang beautifully, like always." I complimented her as I embraced her tightly. Philippe ran towards his Mother and hugged her legs.

"Oh, thank you, Meg. I was quite nervous."

"You always do it divinely, Christine." I smiled at her and I noticed her looking at Erik and The Persian beside me curiously.

"Mother, Father, this is Auntie Meg's friend, Monsieur Leroux and his assistant." Philippe quickly said.

"A pleasure to meet you Monsieur Leroux and friend." Christine answered kindly and I noticed she was about to extend her hand but Raoul stopped her. From what I could see, neither of them recognized Erik, to my relief.

"The honor is mine, Madame. I did not know I had the honor of listening to Christine D…Di Chagny "The Angel of Opera" sing tonight." Erik answered, he was about to say Daaé but stopped himself right on time. No one called Christine that anymore. I noticed he did not look at her directly in the eyes as if afraid she might realize it's him.

"Oh, you flatter me, Monsieur. But the night wasn't about me; it was the inauguration of the Opera House." Christine said humbly.

"Is it true this is where _The Palais Garnier_ used to be?" Philippe asked. A silence fell upon us all. It seems we all remember that night eight years ago quite well.

"Yes, my darling, it was." Christine answered her son.

"You sang there, too, right Mama?"

"Yes, I did, a long time ago." Christine said with a slight nostalgic tone. "I was quite surprised when they asked me to sing here again."

"Maybe they thought it was a good way to put the past behind and start anew." I said and glanced at Erik beside me who was looking down at the ground, lost in thought.

"Yes, I would gladly sing again. I had a lot of special moments in this place… I will never forget them." Christine said, looking up at the building, with a melancholic tone and put her hand on top of Philippe's head.

"Well, we must go now, my love, It's been a long night. A pleasure to meet all of you." Raoul quickly added and started heading toward their carriage, which just arrived.

"Goodbye, Auntie Meg and I hope to see you again, Monsieur Leroux. I _will_ beat you next time!" Philippe said as his Father pulled him by his arm. Erik laughed at the boy's challenge.

"Of course, Philippe, hopefully, we will see each other again. I accept your challenge." Erik bowed and tipped his hat.

"He's presumptuous for an eight year old, isn't he? Like his Father." Christine whispered as she shot me a glance which I knew what it meant.

"Goodbye, Meg. Goodbye gentlemen." Christine said quickly and they all got in the carriage and left.

…

The silence in the carriage was deafening. The Persian and I both looked at each other, trying to see if either one of us knew what Erik was thinking. In the years I have known him, silence meant two things in Erik: He was either extremely mad or thinking about a new composition. I am quite sure it is the latter.

The whole journey back to my apartment was done in silence, neither me nor The Persian dared to say a word. As we entered my home, I waited for the great explosion of rage or the throwing of things but it never came.

That worried me even more.

Erik silently took off his hat while I did the same and took off my gloves. That's it; I couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Erik… is everything all right?" I asked slowly and gently, glancing over at The Persian. Erik froze and slowly turned around to look at me. I saw it in his eyes, his rage, and his face emotionless.

"You knew, didn't you?" He whispered as if trying to control himself.

"I knew what?" I asked. I wanted to make sure that Erik was talking about Philippe. Erik scoffed as if in unbelief.

"Don't play coy with me, Meg. You knew." Erik said a little louder as he breathed in to control himself.

"Knew what?!" I wasn't going to say anything unless I was certain.

"You KNEW Philippe was my son!" I jumped at his sudden shout and I felt the Persian move quickly beside me.

"Of course I did." I answered trying not to shout back at him and fuel his rage.

"WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME!?" Erik yelled as he took me by the arm hard.

"Erik! Let go of her!" The Persian took his hand and threw it off mine and put himself in between me and him. I've always known Erik would never hurt me but the look he had in his eyes scared me. I had never seen him this mad before, not even after all these years.

"It wasn't my secret to tell!" I exclaimed.

"Eight years, Meg! Eight years! Why was I never told that I had a son!?"Erik exclaimed, an uncontrollable rage in his eyes.

"When was I or Christine supposed to tell you?! May I remind you Erik that you left her alone and ran away for those eight years!" I said firmly, reminding him that the decision to leave was completely his. If he had no knowledge of his son, it was his own fault.

A silence ensued as I saw Erik's face slowly change from rage to shame. It was like that last night we all saw each other played in his mind. He turned around and I saw how his tense back slowly loosened. After a long moment, Erik finally spoke again.

"A son? I still cannot believe that I… I was actually able to have a son." He whispered. I moved around the Persian slowly and stood behind Erik. I was about to put my hand on his back but I decided not to.

"And he looks so…" Erik started again in a whisper and I quickly shook my head, knowing what he meant. I moved around Erik and stood in front of him, looking at him directly, but he averted his eyes.

"He looked so what?" I insisted for him to finish his sentence.

"Meg, He… He cannot be mine, could he? He's—"

"He's what?!" I let out a little more forcefully than I intended but it irritated me that after all these years, Erik still thought of himself lowly because of his appearance. He looked up at me in surprise at my outburst and then simply sighed.

"He is too normal. There's nothing wrong with him or—"

"Or his face?" I finished the sentence for him. He looked at me with those brown eyes of him and I saw a glimpse of the Erik I once knew. The insecure, lonely man I met years ago who wore a white mask on his face. All this time he thought his face was a disease that could be passed on for generations and it seemed he didn't want to pass it on to his own children. All his life he has lived in fear and in the darkness as if he was cursed. If anything, Philippe should prove to him that he was never cursed, simply born different. And there was nothing wrong with that or him.

"There has never been anything wrong with you or your face." I whispered to him. "And if that child is amazing, talented and special… it is because he has _two_ extraordinary parents. And if I wanted you to meet him tonight, it was because I wanted you to see that you are able to bring to this world so much goodness, Erik. And you have, you just need to let yourself see it." A tear escaped down my eye as I thought of this man, this beautiful man in front of me, denying himself the joy of being a Father because of his own insecurities. He looked at me, his eyes with a small light in their eyes, as he took in all that I was telling him.

Suddenly, Erik strode toward me, took me by the waist, cupped my face, and his lips inched towards mine as he was about to kiss me, and I was going to let him. I felt the familiar desire for him come alive in me and I longed for him to kiss me in this moment, not caring the Persian was there. But then it seemed he decided against it and kissed me on my forehead. We leaned our foreheads against each other, our eyes closed, and Erik breathed in deeply as if trying to control the urge to kiss me. I blushed profusely as I realized that I was the reason of his uncontrollable desire. I couldn't believe that he was acting this way because of me.

 _Could it be possible that Erik could be feeling something for me?_

"Thank you." He whispered softly and I felt his warm breath on my cheek. I felt his thumb caress my cheek and wipe the small tear away. My heart was beating hard as he finally let me go.

"What do you wish to do now, Erik?" The Persian turned around and asked, breaking the silence and our moment. He must have at some moment turned around to give us some kind of illusion of privacy. I hadn't noticed it, I hadn't noticed anything. I only noticed the brown eyes that were still fixed on me and how I felt slightly lightheaded.

We stared at each other for a very long time and for a moment I thought Erik was never going to say anything. But then he surprised me and the Persian when he finally spoke to say:

"I want to see Christine and I want to let her know that I am alive."


	6. A Love Resurrected

**Chapter Six**

 ** _A Love Resurrected_**

"That was a very good practice, _filles_!" I exclaimed and my voice echoed around the rehearsal room. It had been a long day at the school, I taught more than five classes, and I felt exhausted.

" _Merci_ , Miss Giry!" A young student of mine exclaimed as they all slowly packed up their things and started leaving the hall.

"Now, remember to work on those pirouettes. See you tomorrow!"

" _Au Revoir_!" I heard a chorus of young girls say back to me as I left the hall towards my dressing room.

I entered the small room and started to let down my hair from the bun on top of my head. I sat down in front of the mirror and saw the familiar white rose that I had put inside a vase from the opening a month ago. My mind went to Erik and how he has found his way back into my life again. It has been a very hectic month, I feel like I've been swept back into the _Palais Garnier_ and my impassioned feelings from when I was a young girl. I couldn't deny that my feelings for Erik have resurfaced in a very strong way, especially after last night; The way he took me in his arms and was about to kiss me without remorse.

 _It was almost like he was… in love with me._

That couldn't be. Could it? All these years I have felt nothing but Erik's cold shoulder and how could I forget the night that I kissed him for the first time and showed him my true feelings. And he rejected me, shutting me out, like he always did.

" _Don't waste your affection on someone who doesn't deserve it_." His words still echoed through my mind, even after eight years. Even with his rejection I knew he was just afraid. He had just been set aside by Christine for Raoul… or at least so he thought. Christine never stopped loving him; Philippe is a living testament of that.

I groaned in frustration and cradled my head in my hands as I thought of Benedict as well. Were my feelings for him waning? I have not seen him regularly this past month, with everything that has been going on, but the moments I have… it hasn't been the same. I've realized that my heart doesn't beat as fast when Benedict holds me as when Erik does. All the time I have known Benedict he has never made me feel the way Erik, with a simple almost kiss, made me lose control last night.

 _But could that simply be my young fantasies of a young girl coming back again or is it something real?_

And yet, Benedict is the only reason my heart is still intact. When Erik left, he left me with a damaged heart. I fell into a very deep depression for a year, especially after I saw Philippe being born. Something ached inside me because something was missing… or someone. Erik had become such a huge part of my life that when he was gone with no intentions of coming back, he had left a hole that I could not fill. The years went by and it started getting easier, it almost felt like a mourning period, trying to forget him and erase him from my life. My Mother tried to set me up with different gentlemen, even Christine, but it never really worked. Until about almost four years ago, I started dancing again in this Ballet School and met Benedict. For the first two years he tried courting me but I always rejected him. I guess I just wasn't ready but after sometime, he started chipping away the ice around my heart. Until one night, he kissed me, softly and woke up in me that part I had forgotten or hidden away. He made me know what loving someone who loved you back felt like and I couldn't just forget that.

A loud knock on the door broke through into my thoughts. It must be Benedict. I quickly wiped tears away that I hadn't realized I let fall.

"Come in!" I exclaimed and I heard the door open.

"Hello, Meg." A familiar voice sounded and a chill ran up my spine. I quickly turned around and looked up at the man who was staring down at me.

"Raoul? What in the world are you doing here?" I asked, genuinely surprised, he had never set foot in the Ballet School. He closed the door behind him and looked at me with cold eyes. A sudden, terrifying thought came into my head.

"Are Christine and Philippe all right?!" I quickly panicked as I got up from my seat and faced him. Why else would he be here?

"Calm Down, Meg, they are fine. They should be the least of _your_ worries." He answered menacingly, as he started walking around me, almost like a tiger circling their prey.

"Then what _are_ you doing here, Raoul?" I asked firmly and unafraid of him.

"I came to ask you a simple question… _Where is he_?" Raoul asked, narrowing his eyes at me. My heart started beating erratically but I tried for it not to show in my face. I, of course knew who he meant but I wasn't about to let him know that.

"Where is _who_?" I asked, trying to sound genuinely confused. He sighed deeply and inched closer at me.

"Don't lie, Meg. You're not very good at it. Where is he? I know you know!" He raised his voice.

"I don't know who you're talking about!"

" _The Phantom_ is back! And I know he went to you because you are the only person he would trust." I slightly jumped at his outburst. I could almost scoff, he didn't even know Erik's real name yet. Even after all this time, Raoul has been chasing a nameless ghost.

" _The Phantom_?" I scoffed, wanting to make him madder. "I haven't heard from him in eight years. I cannot believe that you're still _obsessing_ over him even after all this time!" Raoul walked toward me and put his face inches from mine.

"I will not STOP until that _monster_ is dead!" He threatened. "Now, you will tell me what you know, Meg; Even if it is the smallest information."

"I don't know anything! I didn't even know he was back! And, you know what; even if I did I wouldn't tell _you_!"

"If I find out that you know something—"

"What!? Are you going to kill me?" I challenged him back. He stared intimidatingly into my eyes, his eyes looked almost black. I was about to move my hand to look for the dagger I hid in the drawer behind me when Raoul quickly took me by the neck, turned me around and slammed me against my vanity table. I was about to scream but he stifled it with his hand hard against my mouth, he pushed my back against his front and he forced me to look at him through the reflection of the mirror in front of me.

"I won't kill you Meg. I will do… much, much worse." He whispered in my ear and I smelled his disgusting breath that smelled like alcohol.

"I will finish what Claude Laurent started many years ago." My eyed widened. He knew about that? All these years and Raoul knew that bastard Laurent almost raped and killed me, looking for Erik. That means Raoul didn't care if Laurent had killed me in that alleyway years ago. He just desperately wanted to kill Erik; he still is desperate.

"And I promise you Meg, you won't enjoy it. _I am not your Phantom_." He squeezed my neck tighter.

"Now, if I find out that you know something about his whereabouts, I will eliminate everything and everyone you ever cared for. And after I am done with them, I will take care of you… _personally_." He let me go, throwing me against the table hard. I let out a gasp trying to get my breath back.

"Is that a _threat_?" I said breathlessly, my voice almost shaking, but I wasn't going to let him know that he was scaring me. I looked up at him and stared at him through the reflection in my mirror. He simply grinned like the devil he was.

"No, Miss Giry that is a promise." He said finally and quickly turned around and left my dressing room.

As soon as he left, I let out a gasp and started crying. I have never felt this terrified of Raoul Di Chagny before. No, that wasn't Raoul anymore… the Raoul I knew no longer existed.

 _The man has gone mad. Who knows since when?_

...

I entered my home, Raoul's threat weighing me down. I looked over my shoulder the whole time, wondering if I was being followed. Not even Benedict accompanying me made me feel at ease.

 _"_ _Meg, are you all right? You seem shaken." He asked me in a worried tone inside the carriage he owned._

 _"_ _Don't worry, Ben. I'm fine." I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which I know disappointed him, and entered my home without looking back._

Now, I just wanted to go to sleep and forget about Raoul's words. A sudden sound shook me to the core as I walked inside my living room. The piano was playing and a beautiful melody filled the whole room. It was soft, sweet and it can be said to be almost nonexistent at first but then it suddenly rose in volume until it became a majestic sound. As I saw Erik's back to me as he passionately played his beautiful composition, I quietly sat down on my upholstery, getting lost in his enchanting music, like I always have since I was a child. I could almost cry in knowing that this would be the first time Erik has played my piano since he arrived at my home. Could it be he finally found his inspiration again?

He finished playing and sighed in satisfaction.

"That was beautiful, Erik." I whispered and he jumped slightly not expecting me to be there. He then smiled and fiddled with his hands a little. A nervous trait he has, I've learned, whenever he feels self-conscious.

"It's a new song, isn't it?" I asked and he simply nodded. "What's it called?"

" _Lumière Du Soleil_." He said as he sat down beside me.

"Sunlight? That's a peculiar name."

"It has a deeper meaning for me." He whispered as he looked me in the eyes. He was about to say something more but he looked down to my neck and his eyes widened.

"Meg, what happened to you?" He asked and quickly took off the scarf that was around my neck covering the bruises Raoul gave me. It appears they were becoming more visible and coming out of the sides of the scarf. I felt his warm hands around my neck and his eyes in a panic. I wasn't planning on telling Erik about Raoul's threat but it was impossible to hide anything from him now.

"It was… Raoul. " I whispered and saw his face change instantly.

"What!? What did he do to you?!" He exclaimed as his temper rose quickly.

"He threatened me—"

"I'll kill him!" He quickly rose from the seat and started heading to the door. I swiftly ran in front of him and blocked him from the exit.

"NO! Erik, he doesn't know where you are! He was trying to find out if I knew anything about your return. I, obviously, told him I did not. He didn't like my answer and… threatened me that if he found out I knew anything he would take away everything and everyone I cared for." I couldn't stop my voice from shaking. The feeling of Raoul's hands around my neck was still quite clear in my mind and the way that he looked at me darkly would haunt my dreams for the next few nights.

 _Would he have killed me in that dressing room?_

Erik must have noticed my shaking because his anger disappeared and he slowly inched towards me. It seemed he was indecisive if to put his arms around me or not.

"I should have never brought you into this, Meg." He whispered to me in regret. "I've put you in danger, again."

"And I would gladly put myself in that danger, again and again." I quickly responded to him not wanting him to think that he was a burden to me, because he wasn't.

"I know you would. But you shouldn't have to." He answered me in a whisper and his eyes looked at me deeply. I know there was something he wanted to say to me with that stare, I just couldn't decipher it.

"Raoul seemed desperate for answers." I told him, breaking the silence; His eyes were starting to stir that familiar feeling in me that only Erik could make. "He doesn't seem to know really anything about where you are." I walked around him, heading back to the living room, trying to calm down my heartbeat.

"Good. I thought that outing as "Mr. Leroux" would have backfired on me."

"It seems it didn't." I sighed and sat down, trying to calm myself, a storm of emotions raging in me.

"Meg." Erik whispered in a soothing voice as if noticing my anxiety. He sat down beside me and I cradled my head in my hands.

It was like I could smell Raoul's filthy breath still on me and the tightness of his grip around my neck. The memory of the terror I felt of his strong hold around my neck, leaving me gasping for air, made my eyes water and my body tremble. I had not felt that helpless since eight years ago, in an alleyway, where Claude Laurent and his men almost took away something I was saving for only one person. I woke up for many years from nightmares of that night; my Mother would come inside my room and try to calm me. It wasn't until I made my peace with the things of my past that I was able to fully let all of that go.

 _I let everything go but the man who sat beside me now._

But now, it was like all of those nightmares came rushing back and I was the young girl in that alleyway again, helpless and useless.

"Meg, I will not let him do anything to you, I promise." Erik whispered to me as I felt his arm on my back, hesitantly, not knowing really what to do. "He won't hurt you again."

I leaned on him, wanting him to not be afraid to embrace me and also needing to feel a secure set of arms wrap around my body. Thankfully, Erik did not disappoint. As soon as I felt his warmth engulf me, my tears started to fall and my shaking intensified. I let out my entire storm on his neck, needing the release, and he held me tighter, his insecurity from before gone.

"I promise you." He whispered again, passionately. He cradled me for what felt like an eternity and I felt myself wishing it was. I didn't want Erik to ever release me. I longed for him to hold me like this forever. He slowly let me go and put his fingers gently on my chin, raising my head up, making me look at him. We were inches away from each other; I could feel his breath on my cheek.

A familiar longing crept up inside my chest and the love I felt for this man woke within me again like a long forgotten spring. The memory of his lips on mine seemed like a lifetime ago and I wanted to feel them again. I needed to feel them again. As if sensing my longing, Erik inched his lips towards mine and as soon as I felt his upper lip touch mine I lost control of myself. I gasped as I captured his lips and I let myself melt in his arms. He cupped my neck and deepened the kiss, making me moan in approval.

This kiss was so different than when I showed him my feelings eight years ago in that sewer. There was no hesitation from him at all, he responded with a security that made my desire almost ache for more of him. I wasn't fighting for his affection; he was giving that to me and more; So much more. I was overwhelmed by his passion; it was almost as if he longed for me as much as I have longed for him.

He started to push me back slowly, making me fall back completely against the long, furniture under us. He started to kiss my neck gently and softly over the bruises on my neck. As I felt his body on mine, I could almost shake with the anticipation of more of him. I've wanted him like this for so long, his love to rain over me like a flood. Not to see his back but to embrace him completely. Years and years of pent up love for him was just pouring out of me and I couldn't stop it.

He wrapped my legs around his waist and I knew that I wasn't the only one fighting my desire. He kissed me with the same urgency and longing that I kissed him. And I welcomed it, needing the escape and the warmth of safety, but more than that… I just needed him. After all these years, I've only just needed him.

His hands softly started lifting my dress and I felt his warm hands on my bare leg and I melted even more to his touch.

"Meg…" He whispered in my ear just like he used to in my dreams when I was young.

Suddenly, a loud knock on the door froze our movements.

"Meg!" I heard Benedict's voice from the other side of my door. Erik and I didn't move, not really knowing what to do.

Benedict knocked a few more times, waiting for my answer. It seemed my cold farewell made him worried because he would never come up unless I told him to. Another few knocks and then it seemed Benedict gave up, thinking I was asleep, and left.

After long moments of waiting to see if Ben would come back, Erik looked down on me as if wondering what I was going to do. But the spell had been broken. It broke through… whatever it was that was happening between us. Reality came knocking, literally, as if reminding me that I couldn't let myself get carried away, I had Benedict.

"Erik…" I simply said and he immediately knew what I meant. He started to straighten himself up and then I quickly rose up from my furniture, putting a much needed distance between us.

"Oh, god, Erik… I'm sorry. I… I don't know what I was thinking." I quickly said, pacing back and forth in my living room.

"You mustn't apologize, Meg."

"Yes, I must. I got carried away when I know you were only trying to comfort me. But I kissed you and—"

"And I gladly responded."

"I know. We both got swept up in the moment. We didn't know what we were doing." I quickly said, knowing that was a lie. I knew what I was doing and I knew what I wanted.

"I knew exactly what I was doing and I knew exactly what I wanted." He told me in a whisper that captivated my attention. His face was still flushed in desire as I am sure mine was.

"What are you trying to say?" I whispered to him, sensing that he was trying to say something more.

"Meg…I've wanted to do that for eight years."

His confession shocked me and it made my body react in various ways. At first, numbness, then my heartbeat intensified and I couldn't breathe. I must have heard wrong. Didn't I?

"What?" I asked. I must have seen so dumb to him but I had to hear it again.

"When I left your room eight years ago and escaped to Persia, I believed my thoughts would be invaded by Christine and what we shared that night. And although, I will never forget that night and forever cherish it… that wasn't what has kept me going all these years." Erik explained calmly and stood up from the furniture. He stared deep into my eyes as if trying to convey what he was trying to say not only with his words but his whole body.

"Every night, I would dream the same thing; A kiss that a young, blonde girl gave to me in one of the darkest moments of my life. You remember that?"

"How can I forget?" I whispered. That kiss has also filled my dreams for a very long time.

"All I could dream and think about was of how you saw me and had loved me for so many years and I was blind to it. I couldn't believe how you saw me as a man, a good man, capable of so much goodness that the world would be the better for it." He said with a small grin and I couldn't help but smile back.

"You remember that?" I asked in surprise. I recalled saying that to him the last night we saw each other. He actually remembered it after all these years? And here I thought they fell on deaf ears.

"Of course I do. It was the first time anyone ever said that to me… the only time. And for eight years, I tried to see myself as you saw me. And when I finally was able to do so, I knew that the woman I loved wasn't Christine… but you. You've always loved me, who I really was. While Christine loved _The Phantom of the Opera_ , you loved Erik, the man behind the mask."

A silence overtook the room as I looked at him, my eyes widened in shock. I honestly did not know what to say. How many times did I dream this moment when I was younger? Longed for it? Hoped for it? And now, it was here and I didn't know what to say.

"I am doing all of this for you." He said as he walked closer to me and gestured towards his face.

"The surgery? You're doing it for _me_?" I asked in wonder.

"It started out that way. I wanted to live with you in the light of day, with no fear, because that is what you deserve from me. But now… I'm doing it for you and my son." I couldn't help but smile at that; my plan to make him change his mind forgotten.

"You love me?" I asked in tears I hadn't known I had let fall.

"Yes." He answered me with a small smile. He crept closer until he was mere inches from my lips.

"I love you, Meg Giry." His whisper made me shiver in a delightful way. He leaned his forehead against mine. We stayed there for some time, as we took each other in. I was still wrapping my head around Erik's confession. But reality quickly set in and Benedict's face came into my mind as clear as day, as if clearing the mist in my head.

"Erik… I can't." I whispered and he sighed, as if knowing that I was going to say it.

"I know." He answered and slowly let me go. I walked two steps back and tried to put distance between us.

"I've wanted to hear you say that for a very long time. And if I was the same young girl that I used to be, I would tell you that I love you too. But I'm not that girl that you left eight years ago. I waited for you, Erik, but I decided to move on with my life and I found Benedict. And I can't ignore what he means to me and how he makes me feel. He was there when you weren't Erik and I can't just leave him to be with you. He deserves more than that from me." I said firmly, in a final way. I saw him look down at the floor, as if lost in thought, and then he took a deep breath as if determined about something.

"Meg, I know that I broke your heart and I have to put it back together. And I want to because I want you. I don't want to love anyone else. This is why I will wait for you for as long as it takes."

"You will wait for me?"

"Yes, like you waited for me."

Erik walked over to me and kissed me on the cheek, the same way he did when he left my room so long ago; like he didn't want to separate his lips from my cheek. He then walked slowly away and left me with a deep longing in my heart as I took everything that has transpired tonight. I was not really sure about anything about what has happened; the only thing I am sure of is one thing:

My love for Erik has come back to life in an undeniable way.


	7. Back to the Old Ways

**Chapter Seven**

 **Back to the Old Ways**

I arrived to the Ballet School, early like I usually did, my mind flooded with Erik's words. I've been trying to avoid him; I left this morning before he was even awake to come to work. I admit that was a bit cowardly but I just did not know what to do with my heart or how I felt. Because I couldn't deny that I still loved Erik… but I couldn't deny either that I love Benedict as well. The real question was: _Who do I love more?_

"Meg!" Benedict's voice snapped me away from my thoughts as I stretched before my class in an hour.

"Ben, Good Morning." I couldn't look up at him, slightly ashamed, remembering that I almost let myself make love to Erik with him standing at the other side of the door.

"How are you, _Mon amour_?" His sweet name for me was like a knife to my chest. I didn't deserve to be called that by him.

"I am fine, Ben, why?"

"I was worried about you last night. I even went up to your apartment to look for you and knocked at your door, did you not hear me?"

"I did not. I am sorry, my darling I—I fell asleep rather quickly and you know how I get when I'm asleep. I am dead to the world." I said quickly, wanting to sound like I wasn't lying.

"No, I don't know how you are in bed. You have not given me the honor." He whispered to me in a small grin. He cupped my face and leaned me close to him. "I would gladly love to find out." He whispered close to my lips as he kissed me, surprising me greatly. His soft lips moved gently against mine and I couldn't help but smile in between kisses. Benedict could always make me forget my troubles and break down my walls rather quickly. But as soon as I leaned back and opened my eyes to look up at him I realized something… something rather dreadful. My heart rate was normal, my cheeks were not flushed and I did not feel a lifetime full of longing for this man.

"Well, you promised that you would wait." I whispered back as I let him wrap his arms around my waist.

"I know. I don't regret that promise. I will wait as long as I need to, _Mon amour_."

I tried not to let my face drop as his words reminded me of Erik's confession of the night before. I took a deep breath and tried not to let the tears I felt forming to show.

"I know and I thank you for that." I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and embraced him, not wanting him to see my watery eyes.

"There is something else I wished to speak to you about." He told me as his chin rested on my head. "I admit that I needed your strength before I could." That worried me.

"What is it?" I asked leaning back and looking up at him.

"I have some bad news for the School. I was just told before you arrived."

"What is it, Ben?" I asked again a little more anxiously. Benedict was scaring me.

"The School… might be closing down."

"What!? Why?!"

"My patrons have all backed out, suddenly, refusing to fund the school anymore. I don't even know why, they have denied to tell me." Benedict said in his usual calm voice. It always impressed me how collected Ben could be even when surrounded by storms of trouble. It was something that was always attractive to me about him.

In a way, when I met him, it was refreshing to me. It was such a relief for me after so many years of having to face Erik's unpredictable rages and moods; where the usual calm one would be me and sometimes my Mother, when both I and Erik would get roused up. But now with Erik back in my life, I've realized how much I missed that fire and how Erik lit it up in me.

"And with our quantity of students we will not be able to keep the School open for long." Benedict's words broke through my mind again, bringing me back to the matter at hand.

"I don't understand… How could the patrons suddenly back out?"

"Even your friend, the Count Raoul Di Chagny, backed out." Benedict said in a tone of surprise while I felt a very cold chill run down my spine.

 _"_ _Now, if I find out that you know something about his whereabouts, I will eliminate everything and everyone you ever cared for. And after I am done with them, I will take care of you… personally."_

Raoul's threat echoed in my mind as I leaned on to the mirror next to me, feeling slightly lightheaded. What did Raoul find out? What does he know? Or is he simply doing this to scare me?

"Meg? Do you know anything about this? Has the Count mentioned anything to you?" Benedict asked, slight anxiety in his voice, revealing how worried he truly was about this.

"No." I hated myself for lying. Ben doesn't deserve anymore lies. But what was I supposed to say? That this was all because of a man I met many years ago, who has shadowed me and my Mother's footsteps for practically my whole life… and I am in love with him?

"How long do we have?" I broke the silence after taking a deep breath and calming myself enough to be able to look at him.

"They gave us two months out of courtesy to try and see if we can find the money. But it's a lot of money, Meg. In order to pay we would have to have some kind of title or rob a bank." Ben scoffed and I could see the worry lines forming on his forehead. I felt the need to kiss them away so I did, knowing this was my entire fault. Ben had worked so hard to get this Ballet School up and running, it isn't fair to him to lose it because of his relationship to me.

 _Damn that Raoul! He knew this would hurt not only me but Benedict too. It's as if he's trying to show how quickly his threat can come true._

I kissed Ben's lips lightly and saw a slight grin form on his face. The kiss didn't erase all of his worries but he was calmer.

"Don't worry, Ben, we will figure this out." I whispered as I leaned my forehead against his.

"What would I do without you, my love?" He whispered and I tried for him not to see the way my eyes watered with tears about to fall.

…

I entered my apartment in a hurry, worried I will make it late to my night shift at the hospital; when I was startled to see The Persian standing in my living room with Erik, sitting down in my upholstery.

"Persian? I was not expecting you tonight." I walked inside my living room and noticed that Erik was pacing. Was it out of excitement or anger? I couldn't tell. Did he know about Raoul's threat on the school?

"Forgive the intrusion, Meg, but Erik had me go on an errand." The Persian answered me in his low, exotic tone of voice.

"What errand?" I asked curiously, glancing at the clock, I had half an hour before my shift started. Erik suddenly put in my hands a small parchment of paper, it seemed like a letter.

"I am meeting Christine in two nights." Erik looked up at me, a slight sparkle in his eyes, and I felt a touch of familiar jealousy creep up my chest.

"Why in two nights? How did you make this happen?" I asked surprised that Erik did not ask me to do this errand.

"I sent the Persian to go and visit her with a gift for Philippe from _Mr. Leroux_ and a gift for her. A red rose." Erik smirked and I knew what it meant. It was his way of telling her it was him, The Phantom… her Angel of Music. "The Persian subtly told her that I wanted to meet her. She agreed in two night's time when Raoul will be out of France on a business trip, apparently, and we will be able to talk uninterrupted." Erik spoke to me almost in an elated voice and it did something to me that I could not explain.

No, I think I could explain. It angered me. Here I was, almost falling apart because Raoul is threatening to take everything away from me because I want to protect him and he is planning secret meetings with the woman who is the love of his life and Mother of his child. I felt the tears I have been holding back all day forming in my eyes and I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Well, I am glad for you, Erik; for you and Christine." I put the letter roughly in his hands and left to my room to change to my nurse's outfit; the tears running down my face as soon as I slammed the door behind me. I couldn't believe I actually fell for Erik's words the day before. Wait for me? He would only wait for Christine. He is still waiting for her. I am such a fool for thinking he had forgotten about her.

After a few seconds, a knock came upon my bedroom door.

"Meg, may I come in?" I heard Erik's muffled voice on the other side. I quickly wiped my tears away as I finished changing myself and opened the door quickly. I passed by Erik who was standing confused in my bedroom entrance.

"What's wrong?" Erik asked, in a tentative voice, which I ignored. If I said another word I would burst.

The Persian was in a corner as if trying to give us privacy (which in reality, he gave us none) and I adjusted the Red Cross on my right elbow. I put on my white hat over my head and was taking my purse to leave when I felt a strong hand take me by the arm pulling me back.

"Meg! What's wrong!?" Erik exclaimed, his usual temper flying. I yanked my arm away from his touch.

"Nothing, Erik! I have to go to work, I am late."

"Meg Giry, I am not letting you leave until you tell me what is wrong!" Erik exclaimed and I scoffed at him.

"You are not my Father, Erik!" I started turning around and Erik appeared in front of me, blocking my way out.

"Meg, stop acting like a child!" He took me by the arms firmly but without hurting me and I slapped them away.

"Will I ever be free of you, Erik?!" I exclaimed almost in a desperate plea, tears running down my face. I couldn't help it; it was like a bad dream, it was happening all over again. I lost my dream because of Erik and Christine's poisonous love story. After _Palais Garnier_ burned down, it took years for me to find a dancing job again and even to start teaching. Now, here I am again, losing my Ballet School but Christine and Erik will be happily reunited. And I foolishly had thought I had Erik's heart somewhat… but I never truly did, did I?

"What are you talking about?!" Erik asked me back, actual hurt in his eyes. My tears fell down my cheeks as I felt the familiar weariness weather me down. I walked backwards and sat down on my couch, my hands cradling my head.

"You have shadowed me and my Mother's footsteps my whole life. And we have always helped you, many times almost losing our lives." I whispered in a muffled voice with my hands against my mouth. A flash of my almost rape in an alleyway came into my head. The closest I have ever been to losing my life because of Erik.

I heard Erik's footsteps slowly come closer to me and he tentatively put his hand on my back. It was slightly stiff, as if he still didn't know what to do. Or maybe, like me, he didn't dare touch me more for fear of letting himself lose control like we did last night.

"Meg, do you really think I don't know what I have put you and your Mother through?" Erik asked. I took a deep breath, stifling a sob, and controlled myself enough to be able to speak.

"Why do I always sacrifice things for you, Erik? It seems that no matter how much I help you, the one who always ends up losing something is me." I whispered to him as I looked up at his stiff figure that towered over me. His hand slowly fell away from my back as he stepped back, as if surprised with what I was saying.

"The only one who loses, Meg?" Erik asked me as if surprised. I stood up, feeling a bit more strength as my anger took over me again.

"I lost my dream when you burned _the Palais Garnier_!  I lost many nights of sleep because of my own nightmares with Laurent! I lost my heart when you chose to leave us behind! I lost years of my life trying to get it back!"

"Have you ever thought of all the things I have lost, Meg!? I have spent my whole life living in shadows because of my face! I have lost all chances of ever recovering those years of my youth! And now I have lost eight more years of being able to raise my own son!" His interruption silenced me and I closed my eyes in shame, looking down on floor.

"Loss? Loss! Oh, _Mon jeune amour_ … you do not even know the beginning of loss." He whispered roughly at me. I felt guilty now in comparing my life with Erik's solitary one. I dared to look up at him and I recognized the stare of the broken man I had met for the first time many years ago.

"Forgive me, Erik. I spoke out of anger… Of course, I cannot ever know everything that you've gone through." I whispered to him and he simply turned himself away from me, showing me his back. It had been a long time since I had known the coldness of his rejection, it was a feeling I had not missed at all.

"My Ballet School is closing down." I whispered, wiping away my tears, finally revealing partly the truth behind my feelings. Erik's back stiffened and the Persian, finally moving from his corner, turned towards us, a look of worry in his eyes.

"How can this be?" The Persian asked me.

"It appears Raoul has convinced all of our patrons to stop backing us. Without them, we have no way of keeping the school open, because we do not have enough students yet to pay the debts of the property. Benedict has worked long and hard to do it, but it's hard when the School is not yet known well enough by the public."

"You are sure it is the Count?" The Persian asked again but I kept staring at Erik's stiff back.

"He threatened me saying that I would lose everything I cared about, if he found out I knew anything about Erik's return." I answered. The Persian sighed and shook his head, as if overwhelmed by the situation like we all were.

"It seems he's found out something… and it won't be long before he tries for my life."

"I won't let that happen." Erik quickly replied, slowly turning towards us, a stare filled with anger.

"Raoul will not hurt you again."

"Again?" The Persian asked but it seemed Erik was not going to answer him. He walked towards me and towered over me, his anger almost emanating from his body in heat.

"I promise you, Meg, he won't." Erik said, determined. I stared at him and believed him, truly, but my heart was a bit weary with the situation; the emotional storm of the day taking its toll on me.

"I believe you. But I have to leave now, I must go to work. And if it will be the only one I will have for a while, I should not be late."

"I will take you." The Persian quickly offered; his hand subtly on the pistol he hides under his cloak.

"That's not nece—"

"Meg, let him go with you. Protect her well, _Daroga_." Erik interrupted me and nodded at the Persian. Before I left, I quickly walked over to Erik again and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek; a lingering one, saturated with all of the love and care that I have always felt for him.I needed him to know that I would never think of him as a burden. I let jealousy and anger cloud my thinking. I needed him to know how much he truly meant to me. Then I embraced him, wrapping my arms around his neck, his arms engulfing me tentatively mere seconds after, to my utter relief.

"Every second that you have been in my life, I will never regret." I whispered in his ear and looked up at him, his lips mere inches from mine. He inched towards me, his upper lip a breath away from mine.

"Meg—"He whispered to me, creating Goosebumps all over my body. I longed to kiss him and show him just how much I loved him; because I do love him… to my shame. Although, that shame was a treacherous path that could easily turn to my greatest joy. But I couldn't… I couldn't do this to Benedict. And now, Erik seems to still love Christine… I don't know if I could do it to myself.

"Goodbye, Erik." I uttered quickly and untangled myself from his embrace and left out the door with the Persian closing it behind me.

…

 ** _Next Morning_**

"Meg!" I heard Benedict exclaim behind me as I packed up my things, my last class filing out the exit.

"Ben!? What is it?" I asked, noting his excitement.

"It's a miracle, Meg! A miracle!" He exclaimed again as he embraced me tightly, lifting me up off the floor and twirling around the ballet floor. I couldn't help but start laughing at his enthusiasm and the smile on his face; a refreshing change after his anxious and sad one yesterday.

"What is it, darling?!" I asked out of breath as he settled me on the ground.

"We are saved, _Mon amour_!"

"What do you mean?!"

"A mysterious backer appeared and wanted to meet with me this morning. He paid our debt in the property and he's just signed agreeing to be an investor for our School!" Ben said animatedly, his worries a thing of the past. I was shocked, I could not believe it. Does that mean that Raoul has gone back on his threat?

"I cannot believe it." Meg whispered in shock as Ben cupped my face.

"I know; I could not either this morning. But now, with our debts behind us, maybe we can finally be able to expand the school, like I have always dreamed of doing! No more barely getting on with the rent or having to beg our backers for money. Now, we can become a real _Académie_! "Ben smiled his breathtaking smile and all I could do was imitate him.

"I am so happy for you, Benedict." I said as I embraced him tightly. He leaned me back, took my chin, and kissed me fiercely. He had never kissed me like this, almost leaving me breathless. For a fleeting moment I let myself feel desire for Benedict. Erik's letter was still on my mind. He wanted to remake his life with Christine… should I remake mine with Ben? I wondered this and only confused myself more.

"What was that for?" I asked, breathlessly, looking up at him.

"Let's go to dinner tonight. Let's celebrate!" He ignored my question and kissed me again, softer but teasingly, his lips meeting mine over and over. I couldn't help but smile at his happiness between kisses.

"All right, I do owe you one." I said as he kissed me a final time and let me go of his tight embrace.

"Meet you up front in a few minutes, I'll go lock up." He said as he was leaving.

"Wait, Ben! You never told me the name of our new investor?" I asked, curiously.

"I never really saw his face but he told me his name was _Mr. Leroux_. I'll tell you the details at dinner." He said leaving out the door; he fortunately didn't notice how my face turned to shock. I headed towards my dressing room, a small smile on my face. Erik did this? But how? I closed the door to the dressing room and was letting down my hair from my bun when I saw it. The very distinctive set of white roses set on my vanity table. The single one I had before replaced by these fresh ones. I smiled and took them in my hands, smelling them and touching their soft petals.

"I did it all for you." I heard a deep voice whisper behind me. I suddenly looked up to the mirror and saw Erik standing behind me, his face had excellent makeup on that hid his deformity perfectly and he was dressed like a French gentleman.

"Surely, you must know that I did it for you." He whispered passionately as he started to slowly make his way towards me.

"For me?" I asked a bit confused. Wasn't he waiting in angst for him and Christine's reunion?

"But…" I looked down at the roses, my feelings of yesterday creeping up on me, remembering Erik's letter to Christine.

"What about Christine?"

"I already told you, Meg." He whispered as he stood behind me, his body so close, I felt its heat on my back.

"Christine is not the one I love anymore. I am going to see her because… it is a chapter of my life that I need to close. I left things wrong with Christine and I need to mend them." He looked into my eyes through the mirror deeply, making my heart do what it does only in his presence.

"But what about Raoul and his threat?" I asked, trying to distract myself more than him.

"You need not worry about him… he is not going to bother you anymore." He said firmly and I looked up at his reflection suspiciously.

"Erik, what did you do?" I asked tentatively and he simply grinned.

"Let's just say…. I went back to the old ways for one night." He grinned and I opened my eyes in shock.

"Erik—"

"He is not dead… unfortunately. I did not go that far." He reassured me. And I simply nodded. Suddenly, He took my necklace, which I had not noticed he was still wearing, and stretched his hands over my head to put it on me again.

"This has never left my neck in eight years, until now." He fastened it behind my neck and left his hands lingering on my back; the contact giving me Goosebumps. I saw his small smile as if knowing how my body reacted to his touch.

"Really? It seems hard to believe, Erik. I just… I don't know how I'm supposed to react to all this. You suddenly love me after pushing me away for so long." I whispered, letting him see the insecure feelings of a girl who has longed for him since she was seventeen years old. The old scars left from cold shoulders, slamming doors and unforgettable screams and rejections. Erik's fight with loving himself is one I have been present for and felt many of the blows of its failures. It was hard for me to adapt now to the man who was looking at me now and actually loved me back.

"That is why I promise you, Meg." He held his lips close to my ear and whispered making my skin slowly feel like it's on fire. "

If you let me…" He kissed me softly on my neck making me gasp lowly.

"I will make it up to you…" His lips lowered to my bare shoulder left from my uniform and I closed my eyes.

"For years…" His lips lowered more.

"And years…" I felt his hand wrap my waist from behind and my left hand was lifted to touch the back of his neck.

"To come." My head fell slightly to the side as he held me closer against his body. The hand on my waist was slowly going upwards, inches from my breast, as I melted more against him.

"How?" I almost breathed it out as I turned my head towards him opening my eyes and my lips were mere inches from his. He looked deep into my eyes, his desire evident in his own and in his breathing; he was losing control just like I was. His left hand slowly rose and touched my lips, his thumb caressing them teasingly. My lips opened, wanting his fingers to be his lips.

"If I could, my love, I would show you, right now." He whispered, his warm breath on my lips, making my longing more. And I knew I wanted him to do so, my mind and body filled with desire for him. But it wasn't a mere desire that could be quenched with a night. I knew that my desire for Erik was more than that.

"But I cannot… not until I know you are fully mine." He whispered. He kissed me on my cheek, achingly long, making me close my eyes. I felt a soft touch of his upper lip on mine and then suddenly, nothing. His warmth was gone.

When I opened my eyes, Erik was gone.


	8. Once Upon Another Time

**Chapter Eight**

 ** _Once upon another time_**

"Will you marry me?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth my breathing stopped suddenly. Did I hear him right? "What?" I asked, in shock. I could not have heard correctly. Benedict simply smiled as if expecting the reaction.

"Meg Giry, will you marry me?" Benedict repeated his question in the middle of the restaurant we were sitting in. As I looked down at the exquisite ring in the middle of the table, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think and even worse… I couldn't answer. I did not know what my answer was. Erik's words from a few hours earlier were still ringing in my head and now Ben was asking me to marry him. How could I answer? I don't even know what my heart wants yet.

"Meg?" Benedict asked me after a few seconds of my own thoughts running around in my head. I looked up at him, his green eyes expectant of my answer. I saw with each passing second of my silence, his smile deflating and his eyes losing their spark. I know that this was not the reaction he was expecting.

"I… I don't know." I whispered, my eyes filling with tears as I saw Ben's smile fall completely.

"You don't know? Is that your answer?" Ben asked in a sad tone but I could sense his unbelief as well.

"Yes. I'm sorry Ben; I know that's not the answer you're expecting."

"No, it really is not at all, Meg." Ben's eyes looked away from me in shame, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment as he started to take the small box with the ring in it off the table.

"I'm sorry… I'm just a bit confused at the moment."

"So am I. I thought we felt the same." Ben whispered steadily. I could tell he was mad but as always the man was a picture of calmness.

"We do. Of course, I do. I love you Ben but—"

"But? But what?" Ben asked firmly. I looked around at the people sitting around us and our exchange was going quite unnoticed, thankfully. I couldn't help but think if this was Erik, instead of Ben, he would have already caused a scene with his temper.

"But some things have changed." I said as I looked down at my hands not wanting him to see my tears. I don't want him to feel bad because of me. I deserve no pity from him, at all.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked. I closed my eyes and I felt the pressure of salty tears running down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away and dreaded what I was going to answer because it was not an answer Ben deserved.

"I… I cannot tell you." I barely whispered and held my gaze on my hands on my lap. "What do you mean you cannot tell me?! Meg, I do not understand any of this." Ben answered and now I could sense the anger in his voice. He deserves an answer but if I gave him it, I would have to reveal Erik's identity and I would never do that.

"All I can really tell you is that… my past has caught up with me and with it came feelings I thought were long forgotten. But they were not."

"Have you been seeing someone else?" A hurtful shock came into his eyes that almost made me want to kiss it away. I stretched my hand towards his on the other side of the table and was grateful that he didn't push it away.

"No, no I have not. I just want to make sure that those feelings are behind me… forever. Because you do not deserve half a heart from me, Ben; you deserve all of me." After a long silence, I thought Ben was about to storm out from the restaurant but he never did. Ben simply squeezed my hand and kissed it.

"Although I don't completely understand everything that you're telling me or what you feel; I will give you time to think it over."

"That's all I ask."

"And I must ask you to forgive me if I—"

"No, Ben! You don't need to ask for my forgiveness. If anything, I should be asking you for it." I squeezed his hand more with my pleading eyes. I should be the one begging him for forgiveness not the other way around. Ben simply glanced at me with confusion and then shook his head.

"Forgive you for what, being honest?" He asked softly, his eyes looking at me tenderly. I do not deserve this man and his kindness. He needed to forgive more than my honesty… a lot more. The thought made me look down in shame and Ben surprised me by getting out of his seat in front of me and sitting on the chair next to me.

"But you must permit me in doing one thing, _mon amour_." Ben whispered his baritone voice almost seductive in my ear; one hand sliding down my neck and the other tracing my lips.

"And that would be?" I whispered back .He raised my chin slightly and captured my lips in his. The kiss was quite different than other times, a passion behind it, which left me breathless. He deepened the kiss, surprising me and a small moan escaped my lips, only audible to him who I felt smiled against them. His soft lips slowly retreated from mine and I couldn't help but feel a bit dizzy after it. Benedict has never kissed me like that; I could even feel a blush forming in my cheeks.

"You must let me fight for you." He whispered against my lips. It seems neither Ben nor Erik are going to make this decision easy.

…

The carriage came to a halt as me and Erik arrived at the island of _La Grande Jatte_ near the River Seine a Sunday afternoon. The sun was out and I felt its heat on my skin and the soft breeze enveloped us both as soon as we stepped off the carriage. I found it quite odd that Christine and Erik decided to meet here. The island is a bit far away from our homes and a bit public but then, I imagine that to be the point. Raoul would probably have Christine followed in his time away and a place as public as this would not be as suspicious as a secret meeting somewhere at night.

" _Daroga_ , return for us in two hours." Erik ordered The Persian and the man simply nodded, leading the carriage away from us. Erik looked sharp and handsome in his suit and top hat, I could hardly recognize him. He had brought a cane, part of his disguise as "Monsieur Leroux" and his face was well covered up with pounds of makeup and a mask the color of his skin. The island was quite crowded as it usually is on Sundays. I used to come more to this part of Paris when I was a child with my Mother. Us and Christine would have picnics here and spend the afternoon playing beside the Seine River. I was surprised Christine suggested it, I thought these days were a thing of the past for her; our young, innocent days where life was a whole lot simpler than it is now.

"Where do we wait?" Erik asked beside me, I could sense the slight anxiety and nervousness in his voice. He was about to speak with Christine for the first time in eight years and not as someone in disguise, but as himself, Erik. A much changed Erik than the man who went mad years ago and tricked the young opera singer to be his student. Now, He was a much more sane man, I've noticed, and mature. If anything, a man ready to be a Father and lead a family. I tried not to let those thoughts fill my head with jealousy again. This meeting was about Philippe more than anything.

"Come, I'll show you what used to be our favorite tree." I answered, tightening my grip on the basket I held in my hand. We walked around various couples sitting on blankets in the grass, lost in their own little worlds. There were some men fishing, ladies and gentlemen alike, walking their pets and enjoying the sun. After a few minutes walking we arrived at a tree, farthest from the people, facing the river. It was one of the biggest trees and where the wind blew most.

"Mama, Christine and I would always sit here and Mama would watch us playing in the river." I answered as I set the basket down beside the tree. I spread the blanket on the grass and Erik began taking the croissants out of the basket. Finally, we sat down and waited until Christine and Philippe arrived. As I ate my croissant, I noticed Erik fiddling with his hands, his famous nervous trait.

"Are you nervous, Erik?" I asked, taking another bite from the croissant.

"No, of course not, why do you ask?" He answered quickly, looking at me curiously. I simply raised my eyebrows and looked down at his fiddling hands. Erik sighed with a small smirk.

"I know you better than you think." I answered with a smirk as well.

"I don't think… I know you do. I have never been able to hide anything from you." He answered, looking at me fondly, making me look away. I was trying to ignore the way my heart was racing at the look in his eyes. Benedict's proposal of a week ago was still in my memory; my heart was still torn in two, not knowing who to choose.

"You will always be a mystery to me, Erik. It doesn't matter how long I know you." I answered, taking another bite, trying to lighten the mood. He smiled, relaxing a bit, and taking his own croissant from the basket. But I could still see in his eyes that he was worried about something.

"But what really is on your mind?" I insisted. He sighed, taking a bite from the croissant in his hands.

"I have been thinking about Philippe and his future. What can I do now if I want to be … a Father to him?" He whispered, his worries weighing him down. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of Erik being a Father.

"I am very glad to hear you call yourself a Father, Erik. And you will be a great one."

"Will I? Can I? Raoul is very much in the way of that and he will not let me get close to the boy." He answered, leaning against his elbow, lying back on the blanket.

"I am sure you and Christine can work something out for you to be able to see him. But honestly, Erik, I do not think that you will ever be able to be a full on Father for him." I said, timidly, expecting a bad reaction but I could not hide him from the truth.

"Why do you say that?" He asked with a slight tone of indignation in his voice. Not expecting that answer from me, of course.

"Erik, let's be honest, if you had made a different decision eight years ago and stayed with Christine in the sewer then maybe you would be able to be a Father for him, like you want. But the truth is you did not do that. You left, and now Christine is married and Philippe cannot see you as a Father, not really. Not with Raoul in their lives. The most you can do is be his mentor or another male figure in his life for him to learn from. But you lost the chance to be his Father, the right way, many years ago." I finished my sentence quite timid, not knowing how he would react. But Erik kept silent for some time, averting his eyes from mine, looking out into the river.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to offend you." I answered after a few seconds in the silence.

"You didn't. You just told me the truth like you always do." Erik answered, still lost in thought. The afternoon went on as we waited for Christine and Philippe to arrive. Meanwhile, all kinds of people from all kinds of life passed through the island. There were even various musicians that would always position themselves somewhere to play their violin or guitar. And I could point out a lot of painters, who had strategically sat down in different places around the Seine River, wanting to capture its beauty. It really was a beautiful day; Erik and I laid there beside each other for some time, talking about meaningless and meaningful things alike. We would talk about the old days at the Opera House before the new owners, Firmin and Andre, took hold of it.

"I never liked them, you know." Erik told me about the last owners of the Opera Populaire.

"You never liked them because they were the first to challenge you." I answered truthfully. Erik only smirked and shook his head.

"No, I didn't mind being challenged. In my mind, that only made things interesting for me. I didn't like them because it was all business to them. They did not respect the Opera or see it as an Art that can only be perfected. They just wanted to see the seats filled and the show sold out." He answered with annoyance in his voice. I nodded, agreeing with him.

"You're right. Although, that never stopped Mama from running the dancers ragged every night practicing even when they would give us the nights free." I answered nostalgically. I can still remember how my feet would bleed and ache after Mama's long sessions of practice. It always had to be perfect for her.

"Helene has always been a perfectionist."

"Mmm… it seems that is where you got it from." I answered with a little smile and he smiled back.

"I sometimes miss the Opera." He whispered.

"So do I."

"But, I honestly believe that sooner or later it would have fallen on its own. It did not need my help." Time went on and for a moment Erik stood up, anxiety taking over him no doubt, and started walking by the river. We have been here almost an hour and Christine had not arrived. I wonder what was taking so long. After a few minutes, the calmness of the river and the softness of the wind started closing my eyes. Before I knew it, sleep overtook me and I forgot about the world. A light touch upon my lips woke me up again. At first, I thought I was dreaming but then I felt the same light touch upon my chin and I knew I wasn't. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Erik's brown eyes looking down at me, almost in an entrancing way, his fingers touching me lightly on my lips, my cheeks, my neck, making desire slowly start building up in me. He was not wearing his top hat anymore and I could see his familiar black wig.

"I really was a damn fool for all those years." Erik whispered, his fingers lightly touching my lips again.

"What do you mean?" I asked in a half-asleep whisper, his soft touch making me close my eyes in a relaxed slumber.

"I was a fool because I had this beauty in front of me for all those years and I refused to notice her until now." His answer made my eyes snap open in surprise. His fingers, softly tracing my lips, started lowering to my neck and getting closer to my breast. My heart started beating faster and my breathing quickened, I could see his small smile form in his lips, because he knew what he could do to me.

"Since when did you know about your foolishness?" I answered, my whispering almost inaudible, I could hardly breath. His hands kept tracing down my neck but he avoided my breast and traced his hands around my stomach.

"That took me some time to figure out myself. But I realized it the moment I kissed Christine that night in the sewer eight years ago… and I wanted it to be you." That answer made me grab his hand suddenly, halting his movements on my stomach. I was genuinely shocked to hear his words.

"What? Since then?"

" _Oui_."

"But that would mean—"

"That I stopped loving Christine a long time ago." He whispered passionately.

"Auntie Meg!" A voice suddenly interrupted us as I looked behind me to see Philippe running towards me. I stood up, trying to clear my head from the cloud it was in. Philippe ran into my arms hard and almost knocked me over.

"Oh! Philippe! I'm happy to see you!" I exclaimed as he laughed in my ear.

"Me too!"

"We are very sorry to be late. It was a little hard to get away." Christine's voice sounded behind Phillippe. She was a beauty in red as she shut her black umbrella. Her chocolate colored hair was neatly tied as she took off her gloves.

"Hard?" I asked as I put down Philippe. Christine embraced me tightly and sighed on my ear.

"I will explain later." She whispered and by the glance she gave me it had something to do with Raoul.

"Hello, _Madame_." Erik appeared beside me, his top hat back on.

" _Bonjour, Monsieur Leroux_!" Philippe answered enthusiastically as they shook hands.

" _Bonjour_ , Philippe, how have you been?"

"Very well, _Monsieur_ , I'm still waiting for that rematch."

"You will get it soon, I hope. It all depends on your Mother." Erik answered as he looked up to Christine. My heart fell as their eyes met and they held their stare. I couldn't help but wonder what Erik was thinking. But I decided to put those thoughts away; it was something they had to do. This conversation was years overdue.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Leroux. I am… very pleased to see you again." Christine's eyes seemed watery and filled with nostalgia.

"Um, Phil, want to come with me and play by the river? Mr. Leroux and your Mama have some things to talk about." I sweetly tried to convince Philippe, ignoring the way my chest was starting to hurt.

"Sure, Auntie Meg!" Philippe answered and quickly started running off to play by the river.

"Thank you, Meg." Christine whispered to me and I held on to her hand and squeezed it. I wanted her to know that she had my support in all this.

"Well, I will leave you two be, then." I said, walking away.

"Meg." I turned around as I heard Erik's voice.

"Be careful." He whispered to me, his eyes soft. He must be thinking of Raoul.

"Of course. I always am." I winked at him, trying to help him feel at ease. And yet I could not feel at ease as I walked away from the pair. As my heart felt the same way it did after leaving a certain sewer many years ago.

…

 **Erik's POV**

Christine and I slowly walked down the River Seine. Enjoying the silence or were we afraid to break it? I know I was. I have been waiting years for this meeting, preparing what to say, and now I have no clue how to start the conversation with the Mother of my son. I observed Christine, the way she walked elegantly with the grace of a Countess. She was no longer the girl I seduced my way into her mind many years ago. Although, she still held certain innocence to her eyes. She was a woman, a Mother, an Opera Star… it amazes me what she has accomplished in all these years. It almost makes me regret this meeting. Should I have left her to live her life believing I was dead? Simply let her be, unchained by the burden of knowing me? And then I remembered the little boy who was playing a distance away from us and I reminded myself that this was what was right, what I had to do.

"Christine…" I finally broke the silence.

"How… how have you been all this time?" I finally asked, not really knowing what to ask or say.

"I've been... honestly, I've never stopped thinking about you Erik. In all of these years, I've become an Opera Singer, a Mother, and a Countess… and yet I've never stopped thinking about you. Wishing… wishing that you would come back somehow." Christine answered, tears falling down her face, and I closed my eyes in shame. I averted her own and looked down to my cane. I never wanted to bring her pain. If anything, I wanted to save her from a solitary and profound pain that no one should ever experience.

"You _must_ know that I left for your own good." I said, finally breaching the subject I've dreaded. We began walking up the steps to the Bridge that divided the River and would bring us to the other side.

"My good?" She answered with certain indignation in her voice. "You left for your _own_ good, Erik."

"If I had stayed, you would have become a fugitive with me. That would have been no life, Christine. Living in sewers, in darkness forever… is that really the life you wanted?"

"Yes, yes it was! I woke up, Erik, after…" Christine's eyes averted my own as she looked away from me, towards the River. She slowly leaned against the rail of the bridge.

"I woke up determined to tell you that I loved you, not Raoul; that I wanted to go wherever you needed to go and that I didn't want to be parted from you ever again. I was ready to love you forever, Erik." She whispered the last few words and I noticed her voice breaking slightly.

"I know… so was I."

"Then why did you leave!? Really?!" She exclaimed, years of pent up emotion coming out in her voice. She turned around and faced me, her tears falling again.

"Because… I was scared." I finally confessed it. The only person I had ever truly admitted that to was Meg and it was because she always could see right through me.

"You must understand, Christine, no one had ever loved me that way before. And I thought once you woke up, you would realize your mistake. And like always, I would have to face another person turning their back on me."

"You should have trusted me. You should have trusted our love. But instead, you made the choice for yourself, completely against my will!"

"I know and I regret that choice more than you can ever imagine!" I silenced her with my fiery reaction. I saw fear in Christine's eyes and I couldn't help but see the young singer I fell for. The girl who would shy away from my temper, not knowing how to handle it or respond to it; unlike another fiery blonde I know, who would never shy away from our discussions. A silence overtook us and I inched my way next to Christine. We leaned against the rail, both of us contemplating the past, looking down at the Seine River.

"Christine… I know now I made the wrong choice, but now that time has gone. If it was up to me, I'd make time itself bend but I will never be that strong. All we can do now is not take for granted the time we have." This made Christine look up at me in surprise.

"Now? What makes you think there is a now?"

"I know, Christine. I know about the boy." I confessed and Christine's eyes widened and she gasped.

"How do you know? ... Meg told you, didn't she?"

"No, I figured it out for myself when I interacted with Philippe." I answered and Christine slowly walked backward, in shock, not knowing what to say.

"I want to be a part of his life. I want to try and be a semblance of a Father and somehow make up for the lost time."

"I thought you would be angry with me."

"No… I have no right to be angry. I made my choice and now I must live with the consequences."

"You were not the only one who made choices, Erik." Christine whispered, her eyes filled with tears.

"I've also made choices I regret." She looked up at me and I saw the innocent girl, dressed in white, who was easily seduced by my voice many years ago.

"Oh, Christine… We did what we thought must be done. Now we don't have a choice, we just do what we must with the time we have left." I whispered back.

"Is that the only reason you wanted to meet with me?" She asked me softly.

"To tell me about Philippe? Or was there something else?" She slowly walked inched towards me and looked at my eyes, curiously and deeply.

"Christine—" "Or did you want to finally finish our story? Do you still love me?" She slowly leaned towards me, awaiting my answer.

"Yes, of course I do, Christine. I will always love you. There will always be a part of my heart that will always belong to you. The girl who sang for the Phantom of the Opera." I smiled fondly, remembering how we sang together in my lair underneath the Opera. Those moments I will never be able to erase from my life and I do not want to. But I have made a decision and a promise to a blonde, young woman that I intend to keep.

"But—"

"But now you are in love with Meg." Christine stated to my surprise. She smirked at my surprise.

"It really wasn't that hard to decipher, Erik. You were never one to hide your feelings very well. You have always had them at your sleeve, that's why the Opera burnt down." I scoffed at that. Although Christine teases me, I can see the sadness in her eyes. It seems she was expecting us to rekindle our relationship from this meeting. But I can't go back once my mind and my heart is set on something. And my mind and heart is set on Meg Giry. I loved Christine in a moment in my life where all I wanted and looked for was darkness. But I no longer look for darkness in my life. On the contrary, I am aching for the light. And I can only find that light in one person… and unfortunately, it is not Christine Daae anymore. It never was. The person that was had been waiting years patiently for me to notice her. And now that I have… I can't bring myself to not notice her anymore. Her light shines too brightly in my life. Her light shines everything in my life.

"If I suspect she has loved you for as long as I think… She is the only one who truly deserves you, isn't she?"

"I am sorry, Christine." "Don't be… I am not a little girl anymore, Erik. I'm stronger than I look."

"I know you are." I answered honestly. She certainly looked stronger, not as fragile as before. Life had gone through her and she was no longer easily destroyed by it. She was a woman.

"But I must ask you for one thing." Christine said, looking down at her feet, a light blush forming on her cheeks.

"What?" I asked. I would do anything for her. I owe her more than just one thing.

"Would you kiss me one last time?" She looked up at me and I could not hide my surprise.

"You owe me a kiss goodbye." She explained. I sighed, knowing that to be true.

"Just one kiss honoring another time. A moment gone; a page turned." The tears falling from the woman in front of me moved my heart. But that wasn't the reason why I kissed her. I kissed her to finally end this chapter in my life. A final goodbye and a final curtain call to the complicated relationship between a beautiful, young woman with the voice of an angel and a broken, lonely man who taught her everything she knew. This was my final footstep to finally coming out of the darkness and embracing the light.

…

"Auntie Meg, I'm tired! I think I'll lie down for a bit." Philippe told me breathlessly, our playing taking a lot out of him. I was determined for him not to even think about his Mother talking very intimately with another man on the other side of the island. I loved Philippe dearly, especially how transparent he can be. But I don't want that transparency to accidently slip out this secret meeting to his Father. I was about to follow the boy to join him at our tree when suddenly I saw them. No, it could not be. I felt my heart racing and my eyes fill with tears. Christine and Erik were kissing on the bridge. Christine's arms were wrapped around his neck as if she would die if she let him go. And to my utter dismay, Erik's arms were around her waist, a few more inches and Christine's whole body would be pressed against his. I turned around, not wanting to see anymore. Tears threatened to fall but I took a deep breath and decided that I wasn't going to shed tears anymore for them.

I don't understand. I… I can't understand. Why would Erik do this after telling me moments ago that he has always loved me. Are his feelings for Christine always going to be stronger than his feelings for me? If so, I don't think I'll be able to have a relationship with someone whose heart isn't fully mine. I can't live my whole life thinking if Erik is secretly thinking about Christine and wishing I could be her? I just… I don't know what to think anymore about him. Maybe Erik hasn't changed at all. He is simply playing with both Christine and I. Like a Phantom, seducing our hearts again. I just never thought he would treat me this way. I know him, the real Erik, I always have… he is the man I have always loved.

But now… Now I don't know who that is anymore.

I took a deep breath, wiping away some escaped tears, and went walking back to where Philippe had fallen asleep on our blanket. It seems Erik has made his decision. Well then, he just helped me make mine a lot more easily. I have decided to accept Benedict's proposal.

…

I quickly stepped out of the carriage, my anger getting the best of me. I was unable to even look at Erik in the eyes. I felt everything and nothing at the same time. I cared so much but I did not want to care at all. I just wanted to be numb.

"Meg, are you all right?" I heard Erik behind me.

"Yes." I answered dryly. As expected, I felt his hand on my arm turning me around.

"Meg, you have not spoken since we left Christine. Now, I know you enough to know when something is on your mind. What's wrong?" Erik asked me, surprisingly calm.

"You are right. Something is on my mind… Benedict asked me to marry him." I spat out quickly and I saw Erik's eyes widen in surprise.

"What?"

"And I have decided to accept." I said as strongly as I could and was only met with silence. The Persian, from his seat in front of the carriage, was also shocked to hear the news.

"Now, you can live your life happily with Christine without me in the way." My voice broke in the middle of the sentence as my emotions got the best of me and I hated myself for it. I did not want Erik to see me cry.

"Christine? What are you talking about?" Erik asked me and I simply scoffed. I have had it with him.

"Stop it, Erik. Just stop it. I am sick of your lies!" I answered, pulling my arm away from his grip.

"Meg, what are you talking about!?" Erik asked fiercely now, his temper rising.

"I saw you! I saw both of you on the bridge!" Erik's eyes filled with understanding and his shameful reaction only confirmed my suspicions.

"Meg, let me explai—"

"NO! I will not hear anymore of your lies. You will not bewitch me with your words any longer!" I exclaimed, turning around, not being able to even face him anymore.

"Meg, please! It is not—" Erik tried to take my arm again but this time I pushed it away and slapped him with the other; His very well hidden mask almost falling of his face.

"You know… I actually thought you were a changed man. But it seems that _Phantom_ still lives somewhere inside of you. The _Phantom_ who can so easily seduce you with lies. I just never thought you would ever do that to _me_." Erik's eyes actually expressed hurt, a deep hurt, that I could not even fathom to understand. But I let myself be numbed, the last tears I would ever shed for this man falling down my cheeks.

"Goodbye, Erik. I will send you your things soon to the Persian's apartments. Good Night, Persian. Thank you… for everything." I said in a final tone. I turned around, leaving them speechless, and I slammed the door to my apartment.

I sobbed myself to sleep that night.


	9. The Same Mistake

**Chapter Nine**

 **The Same Mistake**

 **A Week Later**

I knocked on Christine's door with a sheet of music in my hands. The last task Erik gave me before our fallout a week ago. I am doing the task now not for him but for me and Benedict's Ballet Academy; Our Opening Show is two months away and we have to start rehearsing for it. Apparently, Erik (Mr. Leroux) and Benedict have been in communication constantly about what to do to expand the Academy. Mr. Leroux told Benedict that the first thing they must do is bring some more positive attention to the Academy. The people of Paris must be aware of the existence of the Academy in order to endorse it. This is why they decided to plan a Ballet Recital for the public's enjoyment but Mr. Leroux was clear that the Recital would include dancing and singing as well. And what a better way to attract an audience to an unknown Academy's Ballet Recital than having one of the most prestigious and famous Opera songstress there to open it with a beautiful Aria written by a mysterious composer who I knew very well.

"Meg!" Christine exclaimed happily as I entered her living room. She hugged me excitedly and I tried to return her excitement but all I could picture was her and Erik on that bridge. I am trying to be happy for her, as I always tend to, but this time… the grief is still too near to my heart.

"How are you?" Christine asked. She took my hand and sat me down next to her in her very fine upholstery.

"I am fine, Christine. A little occupied because of the Recital but fine."

"Oh yes! I had forgotten about that! How is that all going?"

"Well, actually, this is what I'm here to ask you for." I passed on to her lap Erik's sheet music for her.

"We would like you to sing at our Ballet Recital." Christine observed the sheets of music I passed on to her and immediately a smile came upon her face. "Erik wrote this, did he not?" Christine asked me and I quickly glanced behind me, hoping not to see Raoul.

"Do not worry, Meg. He's out on business."

"Yes, Erik wrote it. He wants you to sing it in the Recital." I answered, trying not to let any bitterness come out from my voice. This only cemented to me the idea that Erik longed for their reconciliation.

"It is Majestic. Erik certainly outdid himself with this." Christine whispered, her eyes were lost reading the music, almost as if she was imagining it all in her head.

"Of course he did, it is for you." I could not help myself from replying.

 _"_ _l'amour ne meurt jamais…_ Love Never Dies. How beautiful. Of course, I will sing it. I owe him that." Christine answered; apparently she did not hear what I said.

"Perfect, rehearsals start tomorrow. I hope you can make it… and that you are able to escape Raoul's grasp, of course." I added, knowing how controlling Raoul can be with Christine. Christine's eyes turned sad and she looked at me as if she had done something wrong.

"About that… that's something I want to talk to you about." She set down the sheets of music on the table in front of her and then glanced behind me to see if some of the servants were near.

"Let's go out for a walk in the garden, Meg." She announced and urged me with her hand on my arm to go outside with her. We walked slowly outside, admiring her garden, but I could sense the heaviness in the air. I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say and I don't know if I'm ready to hear it.

"Meg… I'm divorcing Raoul." I looked over at her in surprise. Although, I was expecting it somehow, but I thought it would be more on the grounds of running away with Erik not doing something illegal.

"Divorce? But Christine that is still illegal." I warned her. Debates have been going on for sometime in France, especially by women, but divorce is still not permitted.

"I have people that I can contact… they can make it legal." Christine said, with a look in her eyes that told me not to ask any more questions. I have known Christine involved in some marches for women's rights, however subtly, because of her social status as Comtesse. But now I'm wondering in how much she has truly been involved in.

"Are you sure you wish to do this?"

"I must, Meg. In order to protect Philippe and myself… I must. "

"Have you told Raoul yet?"

"I will soon. I just want to be sure Philippe and I will be safe." Then, like an uncontrollable urge, I just had to ask this next question.

"And after? You will go and be with Erik?" I asked, my eyes averting Christine's own. As I kept walking in front of her, I waited for the final blow.

"What?" Christine asked. I heard her stop behind me and I did the same. Looking back at her, as normal as I could, not wanting to look like it affected me.

"Erik? You will go and be with him now, surely. You are free to do so." I said, mustering a smile from inside me that I did not even know where it came from. Christine looked deeply into my eyes and then she did a small smile that I could not understand.

"Oh, you foolish girl." She whispered and my smile faltered.

"What do you mean?"

"Meg, I am doing no such thing. What made you think that?" Christine asked me, sitting down on a metal, black bench right in the middle of her garden. I couldn't help but scoff at her question.

"I saw you and Erik at the bridge a week ago. I only assumed-"

"Oh, Meg, no, that… that was not a reconciliation."

"It was not?" I asked in genuine surprise.

"That was a farewell. It was our way of finally putting an end to our story." Christine answered, her eyes full of what seemed nostalgia.

"And I asked him for the kiss… not the other way around." Christine said in a final way and I was trying to take all of it in. Christine and Erik were not planning on being together again?

"Meg…" Christine called me, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Sit down." I did as I was told, almost numbly, I did not even know what to think. It could not be that… Erik chose me?

"You once told me that you wanted me to be the one to show Erik that He could be loved, that he was a great man, no matter what he looked like." Christine whispered to me as she took hold of my hands. I remember when I told her that. It was when I finally told her the truth about who Erik was and that I had always known his true identity.

"But Meg… no one was going to be able to do that. Only you." I look up in surprise. Christine was actually looking at me with her eyes almost in tears and a small smile on her face.

"Oh, Meg, you have loved him for so long; so purely, so genuinely and secretly, even from me. You have been so strong and endured so much. The only one who deserves to love him is you. And Erik told me himself... he loves you." Christine held my hands tighter as I felt tears fall down my cheeks. In all of my years loving Erik, I had never told anyone, not even Mama but I know she already knew. But to have Christine, of all people, say these words to me… I could not help but feel like I made it to the end of a long, perseverant race… and finally won.

"So… Please, Meg, do not make the same mistake I did. Do not make the choice you think you have to do or people want you to do." Christine said, her eyes also letting tears fall, and she put her hand on my cheek.

"Make the choice you want to make; the choice that your heart wants to make. If not, trust me, you will live to regret it forever." Christine's voice broke at the end of the sentence and I knew she was talking about her choice to leave with Raoul those many years ago under the Opera Populaire.

"But Christine, you and Erik—"

"Me and Erik lost our chance many years ago. Both of us made the wrong choices. I chose to leave him under the Opera… he chose to leave me that night in the sewer. We made the wrong choices and we made our peace with them." Christine's tears fell on our entwined hands and I could not help but close my eyes, squeezing my eyelids, letting more tears fall as well.

"Now, it's your turn to make a choice."

…

 **Benedict's Manor**

 **The Same Day**

I knocked on the door almost heavily. My heartbeat was erratic and I was trying to calm myself enough to do what I needed to do. The door opened and Benedict's Head Butler answered the door.

"Mademoiselle Giry, How very nice to see you again."

"Bonjour, Louis. Is Benedict home?"

"Yes, Miss, is he expecting you?" Louis asked and my heart dropped.

"No, he is not." I answered, trying to hide the sadness in my voice.

"Oh, well, I will announce your arrival." He answered, letting me come in. He guided me to the dining room as he went to go look for Benedict. I sat down at the table and glanced around Benedict's beautiful home.

Benedict comes from a long line of famous Ballet Masters that have worked for many years in France. He told me his Father had left him quite a large inheritance after his death, he never told me how much. But from his house, I can tell that Benedict's family was wealthy. I had known his family's history in Ballet and how they had made themselves known around Europe but I never truly saw much of that wealth in Benedict's work. He's always said that He wants to build his own reputation, apart from his family's wealth. That's why he never asked them for help in the Academy he's been trying to build for years. He wants to do it on his own. Admirable, of course, he is a very admirable man. And humble, there is not a prideful or greedy bone in his body.

" _Mon amour_ , I was not expecting you today." I heard Benedict's voice behind me and it broke me away from my thoughts. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind me on the chair and kissed me on the cheek.

"I was not expecting to come, either." I answered; he let me go and moved in front of me, looking down at me curiously.

"Is everything all right?" He asked me worriedly. I did not know how to answer that.

"Sit down, Ben, I just need to talk to you about something." I said and he did as I told him to but I could see in his face that he was confused.

"All Right, Meg, you are scaring me. What is it?" I stared in his eyes, his beautiful emerald eyes that could always calm any storms within me. I could not believe that I was about to break this man's heart.

"Ben… it is about… your proposal." I said it with my voice shaking a little. I saw his small smile falter.

"I… I cannot accept it." I stated and my eyes watered. Ben's smile was completely gone now and the light that is always there in his eyes faded.

"I see." He whispered and averted his eyes from my own.

"And you deserve an explanation for why and I… I want to give it you." He remained silent, his eyes looking down to his hands under the table. I could not help but compare if it was Erik, his fury and temper would have been made known in the entire Mansion. But this was Ben… Ben was the complete opposite of Erik. Where one was fire and brimstone the other was water and sand. In all of the time in our relationship, I rarely saw Benedict lose his temper. He was a very introverted man, which is also what I know led me to like him as well.

"You fell in love with someone else." He whispered lowly from his seat.

"No… I was already in love with someone else… long before I met you." This sparked his interest because he finally looked up at me.

"I met a man many years ago when I was thirteen years old. He became a part of my Mother's life and mine's very intimately. He became family. But when I was seventeen, I realized I had fallen in love with him. But for many years, I did not express it because I was afraid of his rejection. He was a very complicated man. But I offered him my friendship and my loyalty without falter. But, suddenly and swiftly, he disappeared from my life. He broke my heart and I practically fell in a very deep depression. I thought I would never see him again. I had not heard from him in seven years when I met you. But recently, he re-entered my life and feelings I thought were long buried and finished forever… I found out they never left." Benedict stood up from the seat and turned his back away from me, as if he wanted to hide what he was feeling from me.

I stopped, waiting to see what he would do. I did not know if to continue. I did not know what to expect. After a minute of silence, I decided to keep going, Ben was apparently listening to me.

"And… he came back looking for me and telling me that he… he loved me. Ben, I need you to understand that I thought I could finally move on with you and I wanted to. But you do not deserve to be loved in half or mediocrely, Benedict. Because I know you, you do not love that way and I will not love you that way. And if I marry you knowing I still love him… It will not be fair to you." A long silence ensued and I was almost scared to hear him answer. Sometimes, silence is even worse than a sound being made. The silence can mean so many things or absolutely nothing. But I had to tell Benedict something of the truth. Although I know that I will never be able to fully reveal or explain everything of me and Erik's relationship. It is too complex for people to comprehend or define. But I hope Ben can understand me in someway. I don't want to break him. I don't want to bring him pain… God knows, he does not deserve that pain.

"Benedict? Can you please say something?" I finally asked after minutes of silence passed.

"I do not really know what to say. What am I supposed to answer to someone that has just revealed to me that they never loved me?"

"No, Ben, that's not true. Of course, I loved you." I stood up from my seat and inched closer to him.

"Tell me one moment that you loved me." Benedict stated firmly, raising his voice a little, as he turned towards me. His eyes were red, full of tears and anger. But I could also see the sadness in them and they broke my heart.

"Do you remember the first time you kissed me?" I asked.

"Of course." He answered lowly.

"We were rehearsing and we had to do a lift. But I was afraid to do it with you. Do you remember what you told me?"

"I told you to trust me… I would never let you fall."

"And I ran into your arms and we did a perfect lift. And as I fell down into your arms and felt them so safe around me… I realized that I loved you. You were the person that reminded me that my heart could still love someone. I trusted you with it and you did not let me down." But I let him down. I closed my eyes and tears puddled behind my eyelids as I realized how much I had let this man down. Fresh tears ran down my face as I looked up at Benedict again. A tear fell down his face but he wiped it away quickly. I dared to get closer to him and grab his hand. Thankfully, he did not push me away.

"I do love you, Ben."

"But not enough." He whispered, looking down at our intertwined hands.

"Not enough to give you what you deserve." I whispered back. He slowly let go of my hands. I saw him take a deep breath and looked at me in such a profound way he almost mirrored Erik's stare.

"I hope he loves you the way that you deserve." And that's when I knew my relationship with Ben was officially over.

"Goodbye, Meg." He said softly and I noticed him holding back tears.

"Goodbye." I whispered back. I leaned over to him and decided to plant a final kiss on his cheek. But Ben moved ever so slightly that it made my lips touch his. As soon as he captured my lips, he cupped my face, and kissed me urgently, knowing that it would be the final time. I felt his tears on my cheek and that made me let fall some more of my own. I could feel his longing in his lips and the sadness in his touch. After Erik's goodbye eight years ago, this was the hardest goodbye I have ever had to do. I let myself pour out every last inch of love I had for him in this final kiss. Because I knew once we parted our lips, it would never be the same. A part of me suddenly understood what Erik and Christine's kiss meant on the bridge. And I knew Christine's words were true. This was simply a final farewell. It was the end to our story.

…

When I entered my apartment after a very long day, I heard a familiar sound coming from my pianoforte. It seemed Erik had found his way back to my apartment. He was playing " _Sunlight_ ", the composition he showed me weeks ago. As I entered my living room, his back to me, playing the heavenly piece, I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was going to do. My emotional journey was not over yet today, it seemed.

"Erik, what are you doing here?" I asked as he finally finished playing the song. He rose up quickly, a bit startled; he stood up from the small bench, that familiar nervous twitching in his hand. I noticed he had his white mask on, it seems he wasn't expecting to stay long.

"Meg… I… I wanted to know if you sent Christine her music." Erik said, trying to sound firm, like he used to do when he was the Phantom so many years ago. But I could see it in his eyes; he can never hide the emotion in his eyes. There was fear, nervousness, even anxiety. Now it was my turn to grin. It seemed I am also able to affect Erik in someway.

"I did, she will sing." I answered, inching towards him. I could see the contentment in his eyes, His Recital all going to plan.

"Good." He said but then he averted his eyes from mine.

"Meg, I also came because I wanted to give you something for the Recital." He suddenly turned around and took the sheets of music from the piano. He walked over to me and put them in my hands.

"I don't understand." I looked up at him curiously and he did a miniscule grin.

"This music is for you. I want you to dance it at the Recital." Erik whispered to me and my eyes widened at his request.

"Dance? With your music?"

"Yes, I wrote it for you a long time ago. I have been waiting for the moment to finally give it to you." I looked down at the sheet of music almost astonished and tears started forming in my eyes. It has been a most secret dream of mine to dance to one of Erik's compositions. A dream I thought long dead and impossible what with all that has happened between us over the years. And now, here I am, holding the sheet of music in my hand. I almost could not believe it.

"Is this a dream?" I whispered accidentally, I meant that to be in my head.

"No, it is not." Erik answered me and I looked up at him with tears now falling on my cheeks.

"Thank you, Erik. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I think I do… if it means the same as it does to me." My eyes looked at him curiously. Erik took my hand and led me to sit down in front of the piano. He put the sheet of music in front of him and started playing it slowly on the keys.

"I wrote this piece one night in Persia. It was almost dawn… I had stayed up all night… thinking about you.

"He glanced over at me, ensuring that I was listening to him, and then kept playing the beautiful melody on the piano.

"I was haunted by the kiss you gave me that night in the sewer. But not because I felt lust... it was because of my surprise to know that you truly loved me. It was shocking the realization of how much. You did not show your love to me out of pity or compassion. You did it because that was how you truly felt. And lost in those thoughts, in the middle of a very dark room, looking out at the night, something I was very much accustomed to. I saw out of the window beside me the sun coming out of the horizon. In all my years in the underground of Paris, I had never seen the sunrise. The sun broke through the darkness in my room and quickly enough, I was engulfed in the light." Erik whispered all of this to me, his hands moving smoothly and without interruption on top of the piano keys. My heart was almost coming out of my chest and my tears were unstoppable now. The music was filling me up with an emotion I could not begin to explain.

"And it occurred to me, right then, that that was what that kiss did to me. It dispelled away all the sadness that I could feel and the darkness from a life without love and it engulfed me with so much of it, that I could not stop it. And I did not want to stop it. I wanted to feel that light in my life. I wanted to be loved in that way. I wanted to be loved by you." Erik finished his sentence and kept playing the keys. His eyes closed as he let himself be completely taken by the music coming from his hands. I always loved it when he would lose himself in the music and play with his pure passion. It was there I could see who he really was. But there was something about playing a melody that was mine, inspired in some way by me, which made it even more beautiful to me. It was like admiring a beautiful painting in amazement knowing that somewhere between the colors there was something of you in it. It simply rendered me speechless.

Even as I heard the music, lost within it as well with my eyes closed. As every note filled my chest and mind, capturing every part of me, it astounded me even more that Erik wrote this because of me. I wondered if I was worth so much beauty. Even more surprising to me… Did Erik truly see me this way, this beautiful? It was like getting a glimpse inside his mind. Or was it his heart? This only gave me more courage to do what I was about to do. When Erik finally hit his final note, I opened my eyes to glance at him, and I saw his eyes were closed, as he was still lost in his music. I slowly put my left hand on top of his right and softly intertwined my fingers through his. Erik broke away from his thoughts and quickly looked down at our hands. I then, slowly, took his other hand and repeated the same action. I kissed both hands softly, as you would do anyone you utterly admire, and then looked up at his brown eyes, staring down at me in wonder.

"I… I rejected Benedict's proposal." I whispered. Picturing Benedict's face earlier today when I went over to his house. His face reflected how heartbroken he was but he, being such a good man, understood my decision.

"And I…I choose you, Erik." I said, my mind going back to many years before, a night in a sewer, when I confessed my love to him for the first time. The words were still as true as they were that day.

"I will always choose you." I whispered inching closer to his lips. But before I could even set my lips on his, Erik let go of my hands, cupped my face and kissed me. I moaned softly as his lips soft and gentle kissed me slowly, not wanting to rush anything. I urged him with my tongue to deepen the kiss and he did. My hands found my way to his chest as he left me almost breathless.

"Oh, _ma lumière,_ I love you." Erik whispered inches from my lips.

"I love you." He kissed me on my left cheek.

"I love you." He kissed me on my other cheek.

"I love you." He kissed my forehead. With every new kiss he gave me, accompanied by his soft _I love you_ , I felt my tears falling down my cheeks. So many years, longing to hear Erik say those words to me, and here he was, letting his love fall over me like rain.

"Don't cry, _mon amour_. Please." Erik whispered to me after giving me a final kiss on my chin.

"I am not crying because of sadness. I… I... I am crying because of how happy I am." I answered, smiling. "And I am the source of that happiness?" Erik asked me, his insecurities breaking through.

"Yes, yes you are." I answered finally, sealing my declaration with a kiss.


	10. Come into the Light

Chapter Ten

Come into the Light

Persian's POV

"Are you eager about today?" I asked breaking the peaceful silence. Today is the opening of the Recital Erik, Meg and Benedict have been working tirelessly on for the past two months. I saw Erik's face turn quickly into one of nervousness. It seemed he was not so eager.

"I confess that I am not entirely." He answered me. He was putting the finishing touches on his mask. He was dressed like a French Gentleman; he could almost be a Count, as he looked at himself in the mirror of his bedroom. It seemed his Façade of Monsieur Leroux was one he would be using for quite some time. At least, I hope. Erik deserved to finally have an identity of his own after so many years hiding in darkness and solitude. I have a feeling a certain blonde ballet dancer has to do with that.

"Why not? I would think you would be. I know you've been longing for sometime to compose again and perform. It is a part of who you are." I answered, glancing at him from behind as he stared at me through the reflection of the mirror in front of him.

"Yes, but I did that all those years ago hiding behind a mask. Not this time, Persian. This time I will have no Phantom to hide behind… I will be myself." Erik stated finally, looking away from my stare in the mirror to continue his makeup. Tonight will be the first time Monsieur Leroux will be coming out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Benedict decided he wanted to present their very generous benefactor at the end of the Recital as a symbol of gratitude. This request Erik surprisingly did not refuse.

"And that scares you." I declared what he did not say. He did not look at me and simply stared at the mirror. I know he was scared.

"Erik, you must not fear—"

"The last time I tried to connect with the world the Palais Garnier burnt down." He interrupted me fiercely. "I became a fugitive and I lost a chance to raise my son." He turned to look at me now, his eyes stern, but I knew it was not against me. It was his frustration against himself, his past mistakes, his lost opportunities.

"Am I truly ready to face it all again, Daroga?" He asked me, his eyes now filled with doubt.

"I think you are." I answered and he looked at me curiously. I put a hand on his shoulder, looking at his anxious eyes, trying to calm him down.

"You are not the same man you were eight years ago, Erik. You are not that Phantom anymore. I knew that the moment you visited me in Persia. I could see it in your eyes. Take it from someone who has known you for many years. All I would ever see was brokenness, rage, sadness and darkness. I did not see that when you returned. Something changed within you and I think it happened the moment Christine Daae kissed you." I saw his eyes widen in surprise but I knew it was the truth.

"Christine showed you love, even if only out of pity, but I know that ever since that moment you were not the same person. Now, the time has come for you to find out who that person is, without a mask. I think you have lived enough time in the darkness, my friend. Maybe it's finally time to come into the light." I finished my statement and squeezed his shoulder lightly. He grinned and I could feel him relaxed now under my hand.

"Thank you, Persian. You always know exactly what to say, don't you?"

"To you... sometimes."

We both laughed.

"And you are right, of course. I have to stop living in shadows. But I do not want to step out of them alone."

"You know that I will always be here for you, Erik."

"I know. As you always have. That is why I…"

I saw Erik's eyes turn fearful again.

"Yes, Erik?"

"I am planning on doing something that I think I will need your help to guide me, Daroga." Erik said, looking doubtfully into my eyes.

I wonder what he is planning now.

…

Opening Night

Meg's POV

It was twenty minutes to start the recital and my heart was almost coming out of my mouth. I have not felt this anxious since dancing the ballet Giselle. I looked at myself in the mirror and observed how my blonde tendrils fell all the way down to my arms. My white ballerina dress was encompassed in silver glitter. There were white roses sewn to the skirt and I had see through sleeves also covered by white roses. I smiled as I saw mine and Erik's flower in my costume, Erik had it personally tailored for me, I know he did it all on purpose. As I traced my costume, my mind could not help but wander back to the first time a white rose became so significant in my life.

"Mama, where are we going?"

The night was cold as mama held my hand hard and took me deeper under the ground. I was finally going to meet him, the mysterious gentleman of the night; at least that is what I liked to call him. He was "the gentleman of the night" my Mama cared for in secret. She told me I would meet him someday when I was ready. She warned me that he had a short temper and I should not say anything to upset him.

"Better not to say anything at all, Meg, unless I say you may do so." She whispered to me. I never understood my Mother's fear towards the gentleman. And yet, she still helped him... why?

Suddenly, I heard a loud sound as we made our way across a dark river on a boat. It sounded like an organ… it was beautiful to me.

"Come, Meg." My Mother got out of the boat first then held out her hand for me. I jumped out and I felt the cool air enter my lungs. It was so cold down here and dark. I could hardly see my hands if it wasn't for the lantern my Mother held. As we got closer to the sound I saw more than a dozen bronze, branched candleholders and a figure in the middle playing from the organ. Beside the figure there seemed to be a large mirror but it seemed to be covered with something... a red, thick, silk blanket. Why would the gentleman cover up his mirror?

"Erik!" My mother shouted but the sound of the organ was too loud and he did not hear her.

His name was Erik. I could finally give a name to the gentleman.

"Let him finish, Mama. It is so beautiful." I whispered to her as he kept on playing. The music was dark yet majestic. It was a strange melody but he made it sound amazing.

"Remember what I said Meg, not a word." My mother whispered to me and then the organ fell silent.

"Erik." The man on the piano turned around slowly revealing a white mask that covered half of his face.

"Madame Giry, I was not expecting you." His voice was very low and masculine but he seemed quite young. He looked a bit older than me.

"I know, Erik, I am sorry but it is a matter of urgency."

He stood up from his seat and a black cape fell royally at his back. He stepped swiftly, as if he was accustomed to having to walk to places quickly to escape. He stopped in front of us and glanced at me only once.

"What is the urgent matter, Madame?" He asked. His voice was low and masculine, almost as if he was trying to be scary. I could not stop looking at him. He was nothing like I imagined him in my head.

Mama and him started whispering to each other until they became quite engrossed in a private conversation. I slowly let go of my Mother's grip on my hand and moved closer to the organ where this Erik was playing. I sat down and I looked behind me and saw that my movement had not garnered any attention away from their discussion. I still had the beautiful melody in my head and I wished to hear it again. I started to play the organ, trying to replicate what I heard in my head, never wanting to forget the melody.

"Meg!" I heard my Mother scream at me and I jumped up quickly in terror. I did not want to be scorned by her.

"I told you—"

"It is all right, Helene. She was playing quite well for hearing the melody only once." I heard Erik comment.

"I am sorry, Erik. I had to bring her; I did not want to leave her alone so late at night. You have heard me speak of my daughter, Meg."

Erik did not answer. He simply began walking towards me in that stride of his. When he arrived in front of the organ he sat down again.

"Show me." Erik simply ordered me and patted the seat beside him. I looked at my Mother and she nodded at me, granting me permission to do as he says.

I began playing the melody again, my hands slightly shaking, not wanting to make a mistake in front of him. Under his scrutiny, my heart was about to fall out of my mouth. I missed a note and I stopped suddenly, horrified, knowing I had made a mistake. His hand suddenly appeared over mine and guided me back to the keys.

"It is all right. The correct note is this one." He corrected me patiently.

Then, to my surprise, he began to play the melody with me. The organ echoed around the darkness around us. But I found it quite less scary now, filled with so much music. Until we finished the song completely and I heard my Mother clap softly behind us.

"That was the most beautiful music I have ever heard, monsieur." I said, looking up at him with a genuine smile on my face.

"Then you are one of the few to say so, Meg." He answered me, a surprise on his face.

"Meg, we must go now." My Mother ordered me from behind. I got up from the seat and walked back beside her to take her hand.

"Are you sure you wish to remain here, Erik? What if they find you?"

"They will not. Unless you guide them here."

"You know I would never do that."

Erik simply nodded at my Mother and then she began to take me back to the boat.

"Wait." Erik's voice echoed around us as my Mother's foot stopped midair as she was about to step into the boat.

Erik walked towards us and kneeled down in front of me. From under his cape appeared a beautiful white rose, which he handed over to me.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mademoiselle Giry. May this be the beginning of more melodies to be shared with you." He said softly, his eyes, although dark almost adoring and I could see a small grin at the half of his face that was not covered by the mask.

I was speechless but I took the rose from his hand. He left without uttering another word and Mama got me back on the boat. After a few more moments of silence, I looked up to my Mother curiously.

"Does this mean I can come more often then, Mama?" I whispered up to her, holding the white rose's stem tightly, not wanting to lose it.

"I honestly do not know what it means, Meg. I have never seen him react that way with anyone." My Mother simply answered.

Then, suddenly, from a distance, we heard the organ begin to play a familiar melody once again.

A light knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

"Meg? Are you ready?" Christine's muffled voice asked me from the other side of the door.

"Yes!" I answered quickly. I almost ran to open the door. When I did I was welcomed by a gorgeous Christine dressed in a lilac colored gown embroidered in gold. Her shoulders were bare if only for three straps of the dress that fell lightly on the top of her arm. She had an extravagant necklace that encompassed her neck, fit for a queen. And a V-neck that gave her a mature look. She was definitely not the young, orphan Christine I grew up with anymore.

"Christine, you look amazing!" I complimented her.

"Meg, and you as well! You look exquisite."

"Thank you. Erik made it for me, especially." I whispered the end of my sentence. Christine knew of our secret affair, she was the only person I dared confide it to.

"I can tell. He accentuated your best qualities." She winked at me and I could not help but blush.

"Oh, Christine."

"Meg, you are in love. Enjoy it." She whispered to me and I nodded. I would always be slightly tense trying to hide my feelings for Erik. I knew we had to keep his identity a secret until tonight, where he would finally reveal himself publicly. But Christine would always remind me to enjoy the feeling. And I had to; I waited so long to feel this way, now I could hardly bare to hide it.

We lightly embraced each other and started walking to our positions to begin the Recital. Everywhere around us ballet dancers were warming up and preparing themselves for the show. I gave a short pep talk to my students, knowing they would do an excellent job.

"Mademoiselle Meg and Comtesse Christine!" We heard Ben call for us as we positioned ourselves backstage. He was dressed in an elegant black suit and my Mother was beside him with her cane, as always.

"Are you both ready? We are about to start in five minutes." Ben asked. I could sense the nervousness in his voice.

"Ben, be calm. Yes, we are ready. Everything will be perfect." I consoled him and lightly touched his shoulder. He no longer shies his eyes away from my own like he used to do at the beginning of rehearsals. He does not treat me as before, obviously, but we have slowly found a way to maintain some kind of friendship, gratefully. Benedict was too kind of a man to hold grudges.

"I know. You know how I get before a show." He grinned at me and then glanced at Christine, taking her all in.

"Comtesse, and are you ready?" He asked tenderly. I noticed how his eyes softened when he looked at Christine.

"Of course, Monsieur Benedict." Christine answered just as tenderly back. He acknowledged her with a nod and quickly left to do some last minute errands, no doubt, before the show. And I could see Christine's eyes follow him until he was out of sight with my Mother behind him.

I had noticed some things between them in these last few months of rehearsal but I wanted Christine herself to confirm it. I must imagine she must think I might feel uncomfortable because of it but quite the contrary. I know Christine and I know Benedict, they are both kind and generous people with big hearts that deserve happiness in every way. And after the hell Christine has been through with Raoul, she needs Benedict's kindness and tenderness in her life.

"He is a—a nice man, Benedict." Christine uttered. She averted my eyes but I could not help but grin up at her.

"I know, he certainly is." I answered and waited for her to say something more. I would not push on the subject unless she permitted it.

"He let Philippe sit in the show free, no cost. He did not have to but he did."

"Benedict is a man of big gestures and selfless, it does not surprise me." I answered, still waiting for Christine to say something more but she merely looked out nervously into the crowd.

"Speaking of Philippe, where is he?" I asked.

"He was with E—With Monsieur Leroux and with his Persian friend. He wanted to spend some time with him before the show started." Christine said. That brought a grin to my face. Erik had been trying to spend as much time as possible with Philippe in these few months. They have yet to tell him who his true Father is but I know they will soon.

"Oh and Raoul? Have you heard from him?" I asked and Christine's eyes looked at me with worry.

"I have not. Since I told him about the divorce months ago, he's disappeared. No one knows where he is." Christine answered with a soft sadness.

"You do not miss him, do you?" I asked. It might seem like a cruel question but no one better than me knows how much Christine secretly suffered in silence with Raoul.

"It is not so much that I miss him. I am just worried. It is a part of my life that has not ended, unfortunately. And I long to… to be…"

"Free?" I finished her sentence. She smiled at me. It was almost like when we were young, finishing each other's sentences. I took her hands in mine and squeezed them. I wanted her to really listen to these words.

"Be free, Christine. When you go out there and do what you are passionate about. Do it freely. Sing freely. The cage is finally open and your past no longer haunts you anymore." I whispered to her. Christine's eyes watered and she embraced me tightly.

"Thank you, Meg."

"Mama!" Philippe exclaimed and interrupted our embrace. He jumped into his Mother's arms and I could see the genuine happiness in Christine's face knowing that her and Philippe were finally free of Raoul's deathly grasp.

"My darling, where is Monsieur Leroux?" Christine asked her son.

"He went with the Persian to look for something. He said they would be back by the start of the show, mama."

Suddenly, the lights were shut down, the stage lights were lit and a grand applause was heard all around the Academy's Theatre.

"Philippe, go and sit with the audience. I will go look for you after the show in my dressing room." I heard Christine whisper in the darkness.

"All right, Mama." Philippe answered, embraced me quickly with a kiss on the cheek wishing me luck and then left running to join the audience.

The show went on spectacularly, not a single mistake. The moment finally came for Christine to sing her Aria.

"Sing freely, Christine." I whispered to her in her ear as she smiled at me. She went walking to the back of the theatre, where she would make her grand entrance. From the side of the stage, I heard the crowd roar as Christine appeared in the spotlight after curtains revealed her in the center of the stage. Erik's beautiful music began to play, the Orchestra not missing a single note, and Christine began slowly walking to the center of the stage. This would be my first time hearing Erik's song for Christine. The moment she began to sing, I knew the song was tailored perfectly for Christine's voice; as only Erik could do.

Who knows when love begins

who knows what makes it start

One day it's simply there

Alive inside your heart.

Christine began beautifully; A hush coming before the crowd as they silently enjoyed each note.

It slips into your thoughts

It infiltrates your soul

It takes you by surprise

Then seizes full control

"Meg." I heard a familiar voice from behind me. I turned around and saw Erik standing behind me. He was dressed very dapper, like a true French gentleman.

"Monsieur Leroux. I was wondering where you were." I whispered.

Try to deny it

And try to protest

But love won't let you go

Once you've been possessed

Erik stood beside me and we both silently listened to "The Angel" enchant the audience with her voice.

"The song truly is beautiful, Erik. Only you could have written something so… Majestic for Christine to sing." I whispered to him beside me. I felt his hands wrap around my waist from behind and I could not help but close my eyes and take it all in. The man I love was finally completely mine and my best friend was singing for the first time free of her abusive relationship. Philippe would have a true Father and Erik would finally be able to live freely without having to look over his shoulder after tonight. I could not be happier as in this moment.

Love never dies

Love never falters

Once it has spoken

Love is yours.

"Meg… that song … I also wrote it for you." Erik whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes in surprise and turned around in his arms.

"What?" I whispered to him. He grinned at my surprise. He took my hand and we hid backstage where no one could see us.

"That song I also wrote it for you. I dedicate it to you. It is a way for me to thank you for your love. The love you have always had for me and the love I promise to always give to you." Erik whispered to me passionately.

Love never fades

Love never alters

Hearts may get broken

Love endures

Hearts may get broken

Love endures

"Oh, Erik. I—" I was struck speechless when I saw him take out a white rose from under his cape. But not just any white rose, from it hanged a black string, which held an engagement ring. My eyes widened and filled with tears. Can it be?

"Meg, please, marry me. I know it might seem quick but I… I just do not believe we should waste anymore time. I think we have wasted enough of it, especially me. And if there is something I have learned is that you can live to regret many things quite painfully. And I do not want to regret you."

I was still speechless. In my dreams I have seen this moment and now it was here. Erik wants me to be his wife. Erik wants me to spend the rest of my life with him. Erik wants me.

And soon as you submit

Surrender flesh and bone

That love takes on a life

Much bigger than your own

It uses you at whim

And drives you to despair

And forces you to feel

More joy than you can bear

"Meg now is not the moment to be so quiet." Erik's words broke me from my thoughts.

"I am sorry, forgive me, I am just… Yes." I answered and I saw a smile come to Erik's face that I had never seen before in all my years of knowing him.

"Yes, Erik, I will marry you." I captured his lips and I could feel his smile against my own. He wrapped his arms around my body and raised me from the floor.

Love never dies

Love will continue

Love keeps on beating

When you're gone

Love never dies

Once it is in you

Life may be fleeting

Love lives on

Life may be fleeting

With Christine's high pitch filling the whole theatre, I kissed Erik with a whole heart. I have officially attained what I have always dreamed of.

Love lives On

The thundering applause filled the whole theatre, as I am sure Christine was receiving a standing ovation. And Erik put on my finger the engagement ring. I laughed heartily with tears falling from my face. I captured his lips once again trying to make sure this was all really real.

"Now, go, dance that Finale Meg, as beautifully as I know only you can." Erik whispered inches from my lips.

"For you, my love, I will." I whispered back and I began to come out of our hiding place to walk towards the stage. As I entered the stage, I saw Christine exiting through the other side and was received by Benedict with a single red rose.

I grinned to myself as I positioned myself center stage, the curtain was closed in front of me. And I found that my heart was beating fast but it had nothing to do with the performance.

…

The crowd's applause roared as all performers of the Recital stood on the stage. Christine and I received bouquets of flowers as performers of the night. Benedict joined us center stage and he raised his hands wanting to silence the crowd because he wanted to speak. He gave a speech of gratitude, expressing it to the whole crowd, to Christine, our students and my Mother and me.

"But I have one final person I must present tonight. Our generous benefactor who made all of this possible… Count Erik Leroux!" Benedict announced and gestured his arm to the side of the stage urging Erik to come out. I saw the apprehension in his eyes and I quickly walked over to him. I took his hand and made him look at my eyes directly.

"Come, Erik." I whispered lowly, only wanting him to hear it. I saw him take a deep breath and then let himself be guided by my hand out. As soon as the spotlight hit his face, the crowd went wild. A smile came to my face as I realized what just happened in this moment. Erik was no longer in the shadows and he will never be in the shadows again.

…

After the show, I was in my dressing room, beginning to change. I could still picture Erik's face as he stepped into the spotlight. He was no longer a nameless man. He can begin his new life without a tainted past.

Or should I say our new life without a tainted past.

I looked down at the ring in my hand and my heart could almost burst from happiness. I still could not believe that I would soon be Erik's wife. So many years dreaming of it… and now it is to be true. Should I pinch myself to see if it is true? I started to laugh at my childish thoughts and myself. But, really, who would have thought that the lowly ballet dancer from eight years ago would find herself becoming a Comtesse.

"You were exquisite, Meg." I turned around as I heard Erik's voice behind me as he entered my dressing room and closed the door. I smiled and embraced him.

"Thank you, my love. I hope I did your music justice."

"You did more than that. You brought it to life." He complimented me and I could not help but blush slightly and look down at my feet. Erik's compliments were rare and I always found myself never knowing how to react and speechless.

"Now, may I do something I have been wanting to do since I saw you dance on that stage tonight to my composition?"

"What?" I asked curiously with a smile.

I gasped suddenly as Erik raised me from the floor and sat me down on my vanity table. He cupped my face gently and kissed me. I smiled in between kisses but let myself be melted by his soft touches.

"I seem to recall you promising me something in this dressing room? When I am completely yours?" I whispered to him as he stopped kissing my neck. He looked down at me and embraced me with his black cape, hiding us from the world. My arms snaked around his waist and our foreheads touched. I could stay here forever.

"I know. I intend to keep that promise. I will make it up to you, Meg. For all of the years to come." He whispered to me warmly. I smiled and raised my neck upwards to kiss him again.

"Philippe… Philippe!" We heard Christine's voice and it made us break apart. Erik and I ran outside and saw Benedict and the Persian surrounding Christine with worried faces.

"What's wrong?" I heard Erik exclaim, as we got closer to them.

"It's Philippe, I—"

"What's wrong!?" Erik asked again desperately.

"He was supposed to meet me after the show in my dressing room! He is not there! I have looked everywhere for him!" Christine exclaimed. Benedict held her hand lightly.

"Daroga, you were supposed to be with him!" Erik accused the Persian furiously.

"I lost him for just a moment, my friend. He said he was going to meet his Mother." The Persian explained.

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" I asked Christine.

"No… I… I don't know. I can hardly think." Christine answered me tearfully.

"Christine, be calm, I am sure we will find out soon." Benedict consoled her. But where could he be?

"Monsieur Leroux! I found this in Christine's dressing room." My Mother appeared with a card in her hand and handed it to Christine.

"This will all end where it all began… Raoul." Christine read aloud what the letter said. She covered her mouth to cry as we all realized what it meant.

"I WILL KILL HIM!" Erik exclaimed.

"Erik! Be calm!" I held his arm. He would kill him, I was sure of that.

"IF HE HURTS HIM!" I cupped his face, trying to calm him down.

"He will not! But think Erik, where could he mean?!" I asked him, trying to distract him of his rage.

"It will all end where it began?" Christine whispered to herself.

"Where what began?" Benedict asked. I saw him glancing at the way I was holding Erik but I could not think about what he might suspect at the moment.

"Our story." Erik whispered, getting everyone's attention. He glanced at me and then at Christine. "Where our Opera started." He finished his statement and Christine and I looked at each other, immediately knowing what Erik meant.

"The Palais Garnier." I whispered.

"We must go now!" Erik quickly ordered, letting go of my hand, and signaling at the Persian to follow him.

"Ben, call the police, tell them to meet us beneath the Opera." I told him as I grabbed Christine and pulled her away from him.

"I do not understand—"

"Please, Ben, there is no time." Christine pleaded.

"I will go with you." Ben announced determinedly.

"No, Ben, please… this is something we have to handle alone. It is a long story that I cannot explain right now. Just call the police and quickly!" I explained desperately.

"All right, but, please, Be careful." He said to the both of us but I could see him looking into Christine's eyes.

"We will." Christine answered and then I pulled her away and we started running to catch up with Erik.

It seemed the past was not finished with us quite yet.

…

Beneath the Palais Garnier

"Philippe!" Erik exclaimed frantically as we followed him into the very familiar sewers beneath the Palais Garnier. Erik was the first in line, I followed and Christine was behind me. The Persian split up from us but I was unable to hear the reason why. I was too desperate to find Philippe.

We went down a lot of steps and the darkness became thicker and thicker. Then we made it to a familiar river that I was hoping not to have to cross ever again in my life. The three of us got on the boat and crossed the river. Once we made it to what used to be Erik's lair, it was nothing like what it used to be. There was no organ, mirrors, candles… nothing that even reminded us of what used to be Erik's home; Only water, mist and a creaky gate that was already opened when we arrived.

"Philippe!" Christine exclaimed as we all saw a glimpse of the boy in the distance.

"Mama!" He screamed back. He had tears in his eyes; he was scared out of his mind. He was tied and thrown in the middle of the cement isle where the lake ended. There was apparently no sign of Raoul anywhere.

"Philippe, we're coming!" Christine screamed.

"It seems our guests have arrived." Raoul's voice echoed around us and suddenly the boat turned over under us making all of us slam into the water.

"MAMA!"I heard Philippe's voice echo around us as I felt Erik's arm pull me out of the water.

"Are you all right?" Erik whispered in my ear.

"Yes." I answered. I saw Christine on the other side of us, trying to make her way through the water and to Philippe but her dress made her go very slowly. Erik also began racing to the boy when suddenly an echo of a gunshot made us all freeze. Raoul appeared from behind Philippe and raised him up from the floor. A gun pointed to his head. I could see in Raoul's eyes his madness, his clothes torn and used, and his hair disheveled. It was an even worse version than the man who attacked me in my dressing room.

"Raoul, PLEASE! LET HIM GO!" Christine pleaded.

"Oh, my darling, that does not depend on me, I am afraid… or you." Raoul answered, his voice low and almost psychotic. It was almost like Raoul had turned into the Phantom.

"What do you want, Count!?" Erik exclaimed.

"I WANT YOU DEAD! THAT IS WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED!" He screamed maniacally.

"FINE! Fine, you can have me, Raoul. But let the boy GO!" Erik exclaimed. He walked a bit closer with every word he said until he was right in between Christine and me.

Raoul answered with a laugh full of insanity. He clicked the gun and pointed to Philippe's head, making tears fall down his face. I felt so much pity for Philippe; it must be so confusing to know that the man who he has known as his Father is doing this to him.

"Oh no no no, ERIK! I am going to do to you the same thing you have done to me! I am going to first take away EVERYTHING that you LOVE MOST!" Raoul screamed and began to point his gun to shoot at Christine or me.

"NO!" Erik screamed and threw himself in front of me and the gun went off.

"NO! NO, ERIK!" I screamed. I cannot lose him now! No! I cannot! I ran toward him waiting for his body to slam to the water. But instead I saw him turn around to look at me in surprise; there wasn't a drop of blood on him. Then, we heard the sound of water splashing as a body fell to the water.

"Mama!" Philippe exclaimed and tried to make his Father loosen his grip on him.

I looked at where Christine's body fell and saw the water turn red with blood.

"CHRISTINE!" I screamed as I ran toward her desperately and got her out of the water. I quickly tried to see where she got shot and it was a shot to her arm. I broke my costume and started binding the arm. Christine can still survive but she cannot keep bleeding out.

"Meg." Christine whispered weakly as I held her in my arms over the water.

"Ssh, it is all right, Christine. Do not speak." I whispered back.

"Choose your next shot carefully, Count. You only have one more bullet." Erik threatened. Raoul was looking at Christine desperately and in surprise. It seemed he thought Erik would run in front of her instead of me. He thought he would be shooting Erik dead.

"Papa, please let me go! I want to go to Mama!" Philippe pleaded.

"Oh but you see I am not your Papa, son. I never was." Raoul confessed to his son and Philippe looked up to his Father in surprise.

"That is something else that you took away from me." Raoul whispered. His eyes red and flooded with lunacy. What is he going to do now? He is a reckless man with a gun.

"Raoul, please, do not make the boy pay for our past mistakes. Let them go, all of them go, I will stay here with you and you can do whatever you want with me. But just let them go!"

"Erik, no, you cannot—" I pleaded with Erik; he cannot stay down here and sacrifice himself.

"Meg, I must do this. If this is the way that I will atone for my sins then so be it." Erik answered me but never faltered his stare from Raoul.

"I have a better way for you to atone for your sins." Raoul whispered. He cocked his gun again and was about to shoot Philippe. Erik ran full speed ahead towards him and I heard a gun go off again.

"NO!" I screamed from the top of my lungs and closed my eyes. I don't want to know what just happened. Is Philippe dead? Is Erik dead? Are they both dead? My heart won't take it either way.

I opened my eyes and saw the mist and smoke clear from the gunshot. I saw Erik on top of Raoul and Philippe was on the side, struggling to be set free.

"No, no, no, no." I whispered frantically.

Suddenly, The Persian appeared from behind them, coming out of a secret passageway. I remembered that it was the passageway behind one of Erik's mirrors, the one he used to escape so many years ago. The Persian had a gun in his hand which from the smoke coming out from it he had had just used it.

"Erik…" The Persian shook him slightly and Erik moved, turning around, away from Raoul. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What took you so long, Daroga?" Erik asked weakly. The Persian chuckled and helped him up.

"That passageway is a bit longer than I remembered." The Persian answered. Apparently, The Persian was able to shoot Raoul before he even let his own gun go off to shoot Philippe. Erik helped Philippe up and untied him. The boy went quickly running towards his Mother in my arms.

"Is she all right, Meg?" Erik asked me as he and the Persian splashed their way beside me.

"Yes, she's going to survive, but she needs medical attention now."

Erik nodded and the Persian quickly took her out of my hands and carried her back the way we came in with Philippe in tow. Erik helped me up from the water. The nurse in me quickly analyzed him up and down, wanting to know if he was hurt.

"I am all right, Meg." He whispered to me and I pushed him back making him grunt.

"Do not scare me like that again!" I exclaimed at him. He chuckled. "I do not find it funny, Erik. If I had lost you—" Erik interrupted me with a kiss that left me breathless.

"I would throw myself in front of you again, Meg Giry, because I am not losing you."

…

A Year Later

Erik kicked the door open of our suite as he carried me inside in my white wedding dress. After a year of planning, we were finally able to be married. It took some time until Erik was finally stabilized in society as a Count. I told him I had no mind in waiting. I had waited eight years, what is a year more?

"We finally made it." Erik said, a genuine smile on his face. He still was masked; he has not done his procedure with Dr. Coupe yet, on my request. I told him I wanted to marry the Erik I fell in love with and the Erik I fell for had a beautiful, deformed face. He would always shake his head when I would compliment his deformity, but I did not care, it came from a genuine place. Now that we are married, I will leave that up to him what he wants to do, I will support him either way.

We entered our suite in Rome, a wedding gift from Christine, exhausted but extremely happy. Although Christine no longer has a title of Comtesse because of her divorce from Raoul, her fame has only skyrocketed as The Angel. And now free from all financial burdens that Raoul might have left her, she was free to do with her money as she pleased. She was a pioneer that woman.

Erik set me down and I took off my veil and threw it on the floor. The suite was beautiful and accommodating. I started to look around and fell more in love with the place the more I saw it. But when I made it to the bedroom, I froze. Nervousness crept up in me that I could not control. Erik's arms suddenly wrapped themselves around me from behind. His breath on my neck already making my heart beat fast.

"How are you, Meg Leroux?" He whispered from behind me. But I could sense his tone behind his question. Was I ready? I turned around in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I am yours, Monsieur Leroux. Completely yours."

…

Erik's POV

With every kiss I gave this woman, desire built up in me like never before. I am finally able to give myself fully to someone who truly loves me and to think that I had her in front of me this whole time. My whole life searching for something real and I had given her the cold shoulder, rejected her, like I did everyone else. But not tonight… tonight, I wish to make her feel as loved as she has made me feel.

We made our way to the bed and I closed the door behind me. Meg's lips crashed on me and I pressed her closer to my body, my arms wrapping around her waist. I wanted to make up for all of the times that I pushed her away. I want her to feel my warmth in every part of her body. I want her as close to me as I can. I never want to be parted from her again.

"Wait." I heard her whisper inches from my lips. I unwillingly let go of her suddenly feeling scared. Was she regretting her decision? She took a small step away from me, looking at me with those eyes that could always make me bend to her every will. She was breathing heavily, her chest going up and down rapidly, her cheeks were red and her lips were starting to get swollen. She looked breathtaking and I still could not help but be amazed that those reactions were being caused by me.

"What is it, my love?" I asked, trying to hide a bit my fear. Meg simply grinned at me and I looked at her curiously.

"I've waited for this moment a long time. I don't want the Phantom to ruin it for me." She said and I widened my eyes in recognition. I had not realized I had not taken off my mask.

"I want to make love to Erik tonight, not the Phantom." Meg whispered lovingly, inching towards me and she reached for my mask. As soon as her hand touched my mask, I put my hand on top of hers, wanting to stop her. I was afraid my deformity might ruin the moment, make it grotesque for her. I have never made love to a woman without my mask. Even with Christine that many night years ago, I never took off my mask. I did not want to scare her.

"Meg… Are you sure?" I asked, my voice shaking a little. Years of insecurities sprung up inside me. I pictured all of the eyes that have looked at me with disgust and hatred. I will not be able to bear to see Meg, of all people, look at me that way now.

Meg did not answer me. She simply finished her movement and took off my mask. I waited for the usual reaction, of disgust or fear, but it never came. Meg's loving eyes never flinched for a moment.

"There He is. The man I love." She whispered to me.

Those words fired up a flame in me that I thought would consume me completely. I couldn't help but slam my lips against hers but this time with an urgency I could not contain. I need Meg to feel my love for her also.

My lips lowered to her neck and I heard Meg moan under my lips. She was almost trembling under me, as if her flame was burning just as much as mine, this only made me start to lose control faster. I undid her dress and she tugged at the end of my white shirt and I quickly flew it over my head.

Suddenly, Meg stopped, her hands on my chest. She was looking down at my scars; my many scars of years of torture. She observed me slowly, passing her hands on top of the scars, feeling every bump. She walked around me and felt them on my back.

"Oh, Erik." She said, pity in her voice. Then, she did something unexpected. An action that made me freeze under her touch. She began kissing each of my scars, in my back and in my chest. With every soft touch of her lips, my eyes began to water. So many years of torture, of rejection, unkindness, hatred, loathing and disgust… Where men, women and even children shunned me away from the world. So many nights full of darkness that not only surrounded me in the sewers of Paris but also consumed my soul. A life where I never felt a Mother or Father's love because they abandoned me as well forever. All of these painful moments rushed through my head like nightmares. But they have all led me to this moment. To Meg, my wife, kissing them all away and making me feel more love than I could have ever imagined or dreamed of.

My eyes began to blur and my body began to shake, as I could not help myself but cry.

"It is all right…" I heard Meg whisper to me as she witnessed my utmost vulnerability. I felt her embrace me as my head found shelter in her neck. She held me for a few moments, her kisses never ceasing. It was almost as if she had waited for this moment her whole life to show me the gentility of her love. I closed my eyes in pleasure as she completely engulfed me in her kisses. When her lips finally returned to mine, I tried to show her gratitude within more passionate kisses of my own.

"Thank you, Meg. Thank you." I whispered in between kisses and tears. Then, for a moment, we stayed with our foreheads touching, as I tried to calm my crying. Her warmth was all I needed. It was like returning to that moment in Persia, the sun encompassing me in its warmth. She calmed my heart and the storm within me like she always did.

Finally calm, I opened my eyes and saw her exquisite eyes looking at me as well. The fire was still burning but now it was fueled by the purity of her touch. I was even more determined now to give this young woman everything she wanted of me.

I finally laid her down on the bed, our clothing completely forgotten now; she lay completely exposed under me. I took in each curve of her body, amazed, knowing she was even more beautiful than I imagined. I saw her blush at my looking at her unabashedly. She got a bit self-conscious and started moving her hands to cover herself.

"Don't." I whispered, taking one of her hands softly. "You are breathtaking, mon amour." I wanted her to feel beautiful like she has made me feel beautiful.

I slowly lowered myself on top of her and took her lips again, not wanting to forget how soft they were against mine. Meg tentatively began touching my shoulders, but I noticed that she was slightly shaking. I halted my movement and I stared down at her. Was something making her uncomfortable?

"Meg, are you all right?"

"Yes, why?" She asked me but I could see it in her eyes, she was nervous about something.

"Meg, you forget I know you well, too."

She averted her eyes from my own and it started worrying me.

"What is it, Meg?" I asked and she took a deep, shaking breath as if wanting to control her nervousness.

"I'm sorry, Erik. I have just… I have never…" Meg whispered, averting her eyes from mine. I quickly understood and I was quite surprised.

"Can it be, Meg? After all this time, you waited?" I asked. Meg was a beautiful woman; it surprised me that she was still a virgin. Any man would succumb to her beauty easily. Unless you were blind, like I was.

"I was waiting for one person, Erik." She dared to look up at me and cup my face. No, it… it could not be?

"You waited for me?" I could not hide my surprise.

"I never wanted it to be anyone else."

I looked down at the ravishing, young woman under me and I almost lost my strength holding myself over her as I realized what she told me. This woman saved a precious part of herself for the most hated, neglected man in Paris. For the man so many people called "Monster", who spit in his eyes with hate. The man who was hounded out by everyone, met with hatred everywhere, had no kind words from anyone or compassion. For that man, this woman waited?

"Erik?" Meg broke through my thoughts, her hand on my cheek caressing me softly. I looked down at her and I could sense her hesitancy, even her insecurity, after such a confession. But I quickly kissed them away. My longing to be one with this woman only intensified with this new discovery. I don't deserve her, do I? Do I deserve this loyalty from her? After everything I've done?

Well, if Meg thinks so… then that is enough for me.

I needed to somehow make her know how I appreciate her waiting for me. I decided to admire her body, I did not want there to be any part of her body my lips did not touch. I began with her neck and kept going down her body until I raised her legs, her perfectly, sculpted legs and kissed them all he way to her ankles. She moaned with my every touch and I could feel her losing control under me. It was music to my ears. The best kind of music I could have ever composed.

"Erik, please." Meg whispered to me, urging me, with her hand on my waist. It seemed she had enough of my teasing. I won't deny her anything tonight. I lowered myself again and I let her wrap her legs around my waist. Her arms snaked around my neck and she began kissing the deformed side of my face.

"I love you, Erik." I heard her whisper in my ear.

"As do I, Meg." I whispered back.

And then I quickly started to move myself into her.

"Erik, wait…" I heard her whisper under me and it halted my movement.

"Do it very slowly, please." She begged me and I quickly understood. I do not want to hurt her. I tried to lessen the cloud of my desire and think of the well being of the young woman under me.

My movements were infinitesimal as I very slowly entered her. I heard a small sound of discomfort and stopped.

"Forgive me." I quickly said. I hated myself for causing her any pain. Meg did not deserve even the smallest bit of it coming from me. She has received that from me enough.

"It's all right. You can keep going." She whispered breathlessly.

I continued my movements and adjusted myself to her slowly. A deep moan escaped my lips as I felt how easily it was

"Is that all right?" I asked, looking down at her. My control was waning but I wanted to make sure she was all right. Meg simply nodded, unable to utter a word it seemed. But I saw her eyes clouded with pleasure as much as mine.

I then felt her gasp under me as we finally made each other completely one.

"Oh Meg, is that really all because of me?" I whispered to her.

"Yes." She hardly whispered back to me.

I began moving deeper into her. Each thrust easier than the last. She kissed me in response but stopped in between, gasping against my lips.

"Now, please." She mustered a whisper under me. I stared into her eyes, wanting to be sure she was ready. She simply nodded to me and kissed me passionately

This fueled my desire even more, making my thrusts go faster. A deformed man, inside and out, was able to inspire such desire in a woman. It was flattering, it was inviting and I easily succumbed to the yearning. I had to control myself or I would lose control completely but I did not want to do that to Meg. This night was about her, not me.

Our bodies fell into a beautiful movement so easily that it reminded me of musical notes easily becoming music that could be heard from a beautiful orchestra. Meg's gasps in my ear intensified with every thrust until they became moans. I would glance at Meg's face, wanting to know if all her waiting was worth it. The squeezing of her legs around my waist and her arms holding me tighter assured me that it was.

Tonight, it is my goal to make Meg Giry feel all the love that she has shown me tenfold. Because she is the only woman that has proven to me that she deserves it. I do not plan on disappointing her.

I love you, Meg Giry.


End file.
